Interactive art installation that invites visitors to tie wishes to a tree
The Wish Tree for Washington, DC is part of a larger installation by Yoko Ono to collect wishes from around the world. The tree is located in the Hirshhorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden, but it is unique enough to deserve its own blog post. DC’s Wish Tree is a Japanese dogwood that was installed in 2007, and visitors leave around 8,000 wishes a year on its branches.
When creating this piece, Ono was inspired by the Japanese tradition of writing prayers on pieces of paper, and then tying the paper strips to a tree. From July 1 through Labor Day, the museum provides pencils and paper tags for adventurers to write down their wishes and tie them to the Wish Tree. For most of the year, visitors are asked to whisper their wishes to the tree so it can rest and to protect it from damage.
After making your wish, take a few moments to browse the other wishes on the tree. Most of the wishes are serious and heartfelt pleas for health, security, and true love, but some are funny requests (like for tigers to live forever). Given the Wish Tree’s location in the nation’s capitol, there are also plenty of wishes related to politics and other current events. I hope all readers of this blog benefit from my wish for more adventures!
The tree at the Hirshhorn is the only permanent Wish Tree in the United States. During the summer, museum staff collect the wishes several times a week and send them Reykjavik, Iceland, where they are buried under Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower.
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Address
785 Jefferson Drive SW
Metro Station
- Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter (GR, YL)
- L’Enfant Plaza (OR, BL, SV, GR, YL)
- Smithsonian (OR, BL, SV)
Directions
From the back of the Hirshhorn Museum, cross Jefferson Drive SW. Enter the sculpture garden using the steps to your right, and the Wish Tree will be directly in front of you.
Cost
Free
Hours
Open daily from 7:30 am – dusk
Tie wishes to the tree from July 1 to Labor Day
Length of Adventure
15 minutes
