The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago is preparing to host a landmark exhibition: Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind. Running from October 18, 2025 through February 22, 2026, this major retrospective will be the only U.S. stop for the celebrated show. Originally organized by Tate Modern in London, the exhibition spans more than 200 works across multiple mediums, offering Chicago audiences a rare chance to engage with Ono’s groundbreaking career. Axios reports on the exhibition here.
What to Expect
Visitors can experience a wide range of Ono’s work, including:
- Participatory instruction pieces that invite direct interaction.
- Installations, film, and archival materials dating back to the 1950s.
- Iconic works like Cut Piece (1964), Film No. 4 (Bottoms), and Wish Tree.
Michael Ferro highlights that these participatory works will encourage visitors to become collaborators, blurring the line between artist and audience. For example, Wish Tree allows guests to write and display their own wishes, while My Mommy Is Beautiful invites personal reflections on memory.
Why Chicago
The MCA has long been a hub for conceptual and experimental art, making it a fitting venue for Ono’s retrospective. As Michael Ferro notes, this exhibition is more than a showcase of an artist’s career — it’s a dialogue between Ono’s enduring messages of peace, activism, and imagination, and the audiences who bring those ideas to life.
Special Events
The MCA will host a Members’ Preview on October 17, with music, social programming, and exclusive early access. Additional events throughout the run will include screenings, workshops, and talks that expand on Ono’s legacy in art and activism.
For anyone invested in Chicago’s cultural scene, Music of the Mind promises to be one of the season’s must-see exhibitions.
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