CNY Branch Members Tour Yoko Ono Solo Show at Everson Museum of Art
Returning to the site of her first solo museum show, Yoko Ono staged a show at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY which was attended by members of the Central New York (CNY) Branch of the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW) on October 24, 2019. One of the last few days of the showing, Ono's "Remembering the Future" exhibition has been ongoing since August 31, 2019 and will close on October 27, 2019.
As CNY Branch members quietly discussed the art, conversations could be overheard about Ono's conceptual art as associated with the Fluxus art movement, and the "Wakon yosai" spirit of the showing in which the Japanese spirit is married to Western technology. Ono's fame as an artist is independent from but bolstered by her marriage and association with the former Beatle John Lennon, who was assassinated on December 8, 1980 in New York City.
Among the most riveting aspects of the Ono show were the "Add Color (Refugee Boat)" in which museum visitors may continue to add color and be part of the transformational aspect of her art. "All my work is a form of wishing," said Yoko Ono, and that concept may, perhaps, be best understood through her "War is Over; If You Want it." Sharing exhibition space with the "Morning Beams" display, the room acts as a powerful symbol of hope and light.
One of the most powerfully affecting portions of Ono's showing was the "Arising: a Call" in which women are invited to add a testament of harm done to them. In this participatory art, only the eyes of the women are seen along with the written testament to abuse.
The CNY Branch's docent tour was arranged by members Sandy Shutter and Karen Hempson.
