Wish Tree for Pasadena by Yoko Ono recently opened on August 2nd and will continue to November 9th. The art installation consists of 21 living crape myrtle trees installed amongst the cafe tables and chairs in the Courtyard of One Colorado. Visitors are invited to write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the tree branches. The wishes will be joined with others from around the world and placed in specially constructed capsules to be installed in the area surrounding Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island, off the coast of Reykjavik, Iceland. With a need to celebrate my 12th wedding anniversary I combined a trip to an Old Town restaurant with a visit to Yoko Ono's latest installation.

Before I begin the fast decent into criticism, I would like to apologize to all of the rabid Beatles fans, and the much much smaller Yoko Ono fan club. I also apologize to anyone who finds these often beautiful but empty experiences cathartic.

I generally find Yoko Ono's work to be simplistic knock offs of Joseph Beuys. For instance, her 100 Acorns project comes across as a small imitation of Beuy's 7000 Oaks. Her peace without structural change ethos often results in visually beautiful experiences, but the lack of deep substance leaves me craving the voting booth. Wish Tree is a great example of how the beauty of the installation is overshadowed by the specifics of her intent.

The 21 myrtle trees hosting white blooms of cotton paper are stunning, and draw the viewer in closer to the branches. If you get to close though, you are confronted with the strange anarchy of humanity's hopes. Some wish for "peace on earth", others for the "downfall of the Socialist threat to America's democratic ideals". For the experience to retain its original charm the viewer has to step away from the trees and enjoy the forest’s view. To participate in this project requires the viewer to write a wish on a piece of paper and tie it to the tree. In the tested tradition of blowing out candles, a wish must remain secret to retain its magical powers. In Ono's Wish Tree the masses of Los Angeles are privy to your deepest desires, so you better choose a good one.

I walked away from the courtyard with an inflated dislike for wishful thinking. Maybe it is because every day I go to work in a homeless housing program, were the ravages of domestic violence, drug addiction, HIV/AIDS, and homelessness require hard work, sweat, and tears to transform people's conditions. To me there is nothing more tragic than simple wishes for stable housing, a good job, and friendship that go unfulfilled.

I encourage you to go to Wish Tree in Pasadena or if it arrives in your community and make a wish - that you can fulfill. It's our actions that make wishful thinking real.