The installation ‘Spread Peace: Wish Tree by Yoko Ono’ [...] was led by the Japan Institute of Portland Japanese Garden, an American non-profit organisation and cultural institution based in Portland, Oregon. [...] The Wish Tree showed simultaneously from June –10 at Portland Japanese Garden in the US, Keihanna Commemorative Garden in Japan, Kokoro no Niwa in Chile, and our Emmarentia-based gardens. This collaboration expanded on the "Yoko Ono: Peace is Power" exhibition showing at the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway. Wish Tree invited guests to reflect and write their wishes for peace, which were then tied to the tree’s branches. Over time, the Wish Trees become adorned with these hopeful missives, evolving into a visual representation of the community’s collective aspirations for peace in our time.

Drawing inspiration from the iconic peace anthem 'Happy Xmas! War Is Over!' by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, filmmakers Dave Mullins and Brad Booker from ElectroLeague, along with co-writer and producer Sean Ono Lennon, secured their first Academy Award on Sunday. [... ] Sometimes the best stories can be told with the help of a chessboard. The game is a key element in "War Is Over", and the 11-minute indie flick revolves around two soldiers, from opposite camps. In the short, the cerebral clash of chess is used as a metaphor for humanizing the soldiers and as a way of communication. [...] Ono, now 91 years old, has long been known as a chess enthusiast, playing chess with her late husband in the music video for 'Don't Count The Waves' from 1972. She also designed “Play It By Trust”, a chess set where all the pieces are white resulting in the players having to collaborate in order to remember where they placed the pieces, showing off her clear anti-war stance. "Chess is a universal language," her son Sean remarked in an interview.

If you were to ask a random selection of people, “What’s the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Yoko Ono?” ‘She was married to John Lennon’ would probably be a common reply. If you then asked them what they know about her music, you’d either get blank looks or references to her screaming into a microphone. In the latest episode of the Misadventures in Music podcast, hosts Ian Prowse and Mick Ord take on the challenge of reshaping these perceptions by diving deep into the life and music of Yoko Ono. They are joined by Madeline Bocaro, a renowned biographer who has been closely following Ono’s career since the sixties. [...] Bocaro provides a nuanced portrait of Ono, highlighting her innovative spirit and the profound influence she has had on contemporary music and art. They discuss her avant-garde compositions, her pioneering work in the Fluxus movement, and her influence on the conceptual art scene.

Japan Institute and Portland Japanese Garden will be partnering with the Nobel Peace Center, Yoko Ono’s studio and public gardens around the world to feature a global Wish Tree installation. The Wish Tree is an interactive artwork created by acclaimed artist and global peace advocate Yoko Ono. […] From June 7-10, the Wish Tree will be installed in the Tateuchi Courtyard, where visitors will be invited to reflect and write their wishes for peace that will then be tied to the Wish Tree’s branches. After its presence here concludes, the wishes are preserved and continue on in connection with the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Reykjavík, Iceland, to join the chorus of global citizens calling for peace.