Yoko Ono to Bring First Permanent Public Art Exhibit in North America to Chicago

"Sky Landing" is scheduled to open to the public in June 2016

After an inspiring visit to Chicago two years ago, artist and activist Yoko Ono will bring her first permanent public work of art in North America to Jackson Park next year.

The work of art, titled "Sky Landing," is scheduled to open to the public in the Garden of the Phoenix in June 2016, according to Project 120 Chicago, a public-private partnership with the Chicago Park District that worked with Ono to bring the piece to Chicago. 

Ono chose the Garden of the Phoenix for the site of her art after visiting Jackson Park for the cherry tree blossom installation in 2013. 

“I recall being immediately connected to the powerful site and feeling the tension between the sky and the ground,” Ono said in a statement. 

The installation aims to compel visitors to make a connection to both the earth and the sky, according to Ono, whose works of art often contain themes about uniting seeming opposites, particularly the East and the West.

Further details about the look of the artwork have not been released. 

The Garden of the Phoenix was a gift from Japan to Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Today, the garden stands as a tribute to Japanese culture and the history of U.S.-Japan relations. 

Ono's visit to Chicago in 2013 was the inspiration for "Sky Landing," but her first visit to the Windy City happened many years before in the 1970's. According to Project 120 Chicago, Ono was captivated by Lake Michigan, which became a source of inspiration for the hit song "Walking on Thin Ice."

Ono, 82, has installed other well-known public art exhibits around the world, including the "Imagine Peace Tower" in Reykjavik, Iceland.

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