WBBM's Carolina Garibay sat down with Museum of Contemporary Art's Manilow Senior Curator Jamillah James, Yoko Ono's Studio Director Connor Monahan and Choose Chicago CEO Kristen Reynolds for an in-depth conversation about the MCA's upcoming exhibit "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind."
We discuss the importance of audience participation in Ono's work, how her work produced decades ago is still relevant, or perhaps even more relevant today and how the exhibit is accessible to all visitors, whether they've never heard of Ono, know of her through the Beatles and her relationship with John Lennon or are Yoko Ono aficionados.
"Music of the Mind" spans several decades of Ono's work and features more than 200 works in various mediums, including performance footage, music and sound recordings, scores, film, photography, installation and archival materials.
The exhibit opens to the public Sep. 18 at 10 a.m. and will be on display through Feb. 22, 2026.
WBBM: Before we get into the specifics of the exhibit, I want to start with talking about Yoko's work. For those who may not be familiar how you would describe Yoko's work, and is there anything you think visitors should know about her work before going to see this exhibit?
Connor Monahan: Interesting question to start with because I would say that Yoko is maybe one of the most difficult artists to contain and define in terms of a category. I think generally, the best way to approach thinking about Yoko's work is she is a conceptual artist, so that means that she's going to prioritize the idea over an object, and that means that she's then choosing many, many different mediums to work with that would potentially suit that idea, rather than relying on a medium that is preferred to express those ideas. That's resulted in Yoko working, most famously in the form of instruction, which is text-based works that invite the viewer or reader into the work. And sometimes that results in a form of mental participation, in terms of thinking at what's prompted in that text, or sometimes that's then realized as a physical realization that engages audience participation. But Yoko has worked in film, performance, music, sound, theater, opera, painting, sculpture, photography. There's really no medium or method that Yoko has not worked in to express her ideas and work.
WBBM: I think sometimes when we think about art, it's easy to think paintings or sculptures, but like you said, Yoko's work kind of ranges from all these different mediums. I feel like every medium that exists she has some sort of experience with. So it'll be really interesting to see how that of plays out in this exhibit.
CM: I touched on this, but to just highlight that, ultimately, all of it is about bringing forward some form of participation from the audience that is integral to every work, whether that be mental or physical participation.
WBBM: That brings us to the exhibit, which is opening this weekend. As we approach the date, Jamilla, I want to ask how you're feeling, being able to see this exhibit open and what the energy is at the MCA among all the people who are involved with bringing this to life.
Jamillah James: Everyone at the museum, including myself, is very, very excited about having this exhibition be in Chicago. I had the opportunity to see the exhibition at both the Tate and at Gropius Bau in Berlin, and both times was truly an emotional experience. Yoko is an artist that I have had the utmost respect for and have been a fan of her music, and that's kind of the way that I came to her art. I think this is an exhibition that is really going to challenge people, but also excite people, bringing people towards participation, sound, music, media that's not always easily consumable in a museum setting, but Yoko is an artist that's really spanned all these media, and I think the public will really take a lot away from this exhibition. So we're excited, and we're also excited for the public to see the show.
WBBM: Can you give us a bit of an overview? I know we've talked a little bit about what people can expect, but in broad terms, what is this exhibit?
JJ: It's a survey of about 70 years of Yoko's work, starting from the 1950s when she was in New York City. It also spans different locations — her work in Tokyo and also London and New York. There's a variety of media. There's about 200 artworks, which spans ephemera, documentation of performance, film music, sound objects, participation objects as well. It's an exhibition that will also, at least in the MCA context, include performance live in the galleries — activations of "Grapefruit," her 1964 text book of instructions. So it really is a multi faceted exhibition that will give a bit of something for everybody. There's also a lot of text-based work in the exhibition. There's an installation that we're going to be including in this presentation called the Blue Room Event from 1966 which is a text-based installation.
WBBM: You mentioned the Tate Modern in London. This this exhibit was organized by the Tate and a couple other museums in Germany and is now in Chicago. Talk about how that happened, how this exhibit came to Chicago, and why Chicago? Why the MCA?
JJ: It's routine for museums to collaborate with each other and to host each other's exhibitions, and the MCA has a long working relationship with the Tate, and it was a conversation between our respective directors, and also me and Juliet Bingham, who's the curator of the exhibition with Patrizia Dander, who's now at Gropius Bau. I went to see the show last spring, and part of my job as a senior curator is to help set the schedule at the museum. So it is a combination of original projects by our in-house curators and also hosting touring exhibitions. Knowing the massive influence of Yoko and our commitment to women artists at the museum and also to ensuring that our program reflects the most important voices of our time, this was a slam dunk in terms of exhibitions to bring to Chicago. Yoko has also had limited exposure in Chicago. There's "Sky Landing" down in Jackson Park, which is her only public work in the United States, but this was an opportunity for the museum to really support this important show, which is one of the larger presentations of her work.
WBBM: We've seen so many posters up promoting this exhibit, at CTA stations, downtown. Chicago has a incredibly rich and deep arts and culture history and community. Kristen, I want to ask you a bit about Chicago's arts and culture scene, and how you anticipate art lovers and Yoko fans are going to receive this exhibit. .
KR: The great thing about Chicago is that we are a city of deep culture, and we really appreciate art and history and diversity, and that's why we welcome more than 55 million visitors a year to our city. We have incredible access at both airports that just announced record-breaking passenger traffic, and we just had a record-breaking summer here in Chicago. So the great thing is, is that when we do have the opportunity to welcome incredible exhibits like this and and notable artists, whether it's a major convention or meeting or marathon, whatever it is that we're hosting, we always showcase record-breaking attendance. We show up. Our city shows up for these events. And so it's it's great. We just launched our new marketing campaign that Chicago is "Never Done and Never Outdone," and and this exhibit is a perfect example of that. We're never done bringing new, exciting opportunities and entertainment and art and culture to our community, and we won't be outdone in how we show up for those opportunities and exhibits. So I expect it to be a record-breaking attendance, and we're going to set the world on fire with this amazing exhibit. We're going to show up, and I'm excited to see it myself. I've learned so much already in this interview about Yoko that I really look forward to seeing the exhibit, and I think our residents and visitors are going to feel the same way.
WBBM: Over the years, Yoko has had exhibits in many other countries. But like you mentioned, Jamilla, this is kind of new for our city. What's unique about "Music of the Mind" here? What makes this exhibit stand out here in Chicago?
JJ: I think one key element of that is the MCA itself and its history with supporting performance and conceptualism, pretty much from its founding. And Yoko is, of course, a very important artist in both of those histories. To bring this show to Chicago really aligns with our mission as an institution, but also it allows us to highlight artists like her that have been foundational to these histories as well. So as I mentioned, one of the distinctions for this exhibition is to bring performance into the galleries. There are also plans for performance-based programs throughout the run of the show, but that was something that was really important for us to do, to collaborate with students and other people here in town, to realize parts of "Grapefruit," to also pay homage to the different performances that she's done historically. In terms of Chicago, it has such a rich history of performance, music, theater, literature, so to capture all kinds of disciplines. So this is an exhibition that I think really reflects all of that.
WBBM: Can you talk more about that collaboration piece that we'll see in this exhibit, and why it's important to bring in local voices like those of students?
JJ: The important thing to understand about Yoko's performance-based work is that anyone can really embody it and do it. Their invitations to the public and all the participatory work that's in the exhibition, it's in a way, activating people to become performers, to complete the work, in a way, so extending this invitation to the student population in town. We're working with UIC and I believe SAIC students as well, to bring them into the museum, to have them become familiar with this material and to do their own interpretations of these various works. Chicago has an incredible academic community, and we really wanted to bring people to the MCA in different ways. And this is an exhibition that a key historical figure, someone that most people are aware of, and are aware to varying degrees, of her artistic practice. And this is a way for people to really connect with the work in a personal way.
WBBM: Connor, for many people, this idea of audience participation might be a new concept. How should those people approach this?
CM: I think an important way to approach that is for many museum goers, the experience might be that they feel, presented by the artist, a work to admire. And in Yoko's case, the work is never about her. She's never saying, "This is what I've created. Please admire." It's always an invitation, as I said before, whether it be mentally or physically. And so the work can't exist without the audience. I think you have to be able to come in and understand how integral you are to that, and that speaks to a larger message that Yoko is trying to communicate about that kind of agency for people to have in the world as well, and to feel like they have a voice and they can make change themselves. And so in this show, we really see these participatory works come alive in many different ways and reaching towards many different ideas. A work like "My Mommy is Beautiful” is inviting people to write messages about their mother. And I think on the surface of that, when you think about that invitation, you think, oh, that's going to be really sweet and nice to see tributes to mothers, when, in fact, that's certainly present in the piece, but it also becomes kind of a journey of through an emotional landscape that you're maybe not expecting, which is, you know, the heartbreak of a relationship with a mother that couldn't be mended or was lost, or a longing for A different kind of relationship, whatever it might be. And I've seen every time I've gone through it when it's, you know, open to the public, I've seen people crying, you know. I mean, it really touches people. And so it's kind of an unexpected work in that sense.
WBBM: I'm sure it's been really cool for you to see this exhibit in different countries, too, and how maybe the participation has changed or evolved over different versions of this exhibit. Have you seen that?
CM: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you do get a "flavor" for the country, so to speak, when you're seeing these different realizations and each presentation is new. And that's what I think is very exciting about all of these participatory works, is it reveals something new each time. And I think more what we see is not so much how Yoko's work has changed, but how there's been shifts in societal perceptions around the work, and what a work can be. It also shifts within institutions in terms of what a work can be and how they can be presented to their audiences. So I think with that, we've been able to see a more engaged and broader reach for a lot of Yoko's works, and to be able to have an exhibition like this at the MCA, where we have so many different participatory works at different levels, and activating the museum that way is really exciting and not something that was as easily done even 10, 20 years ago. So I think it's really brought Yoko's work to life in a new way.
WBBM: You had mentioned earlier too, though this exhibit spans decades of her work, maybe some of that work is still relevant, or even more relevant today.
JJ: If you think about this moment that the city is experiencing right now, the message of peace is power, to imagine peace, surrender to peace are very important to the public to hear at moments like this. So I think the work has always been relevant. But I think in this particular moment where, as Connor says, There's crises erupting all over the place, just giving people the opportunity to come to the exhibition, to have these private or meditative moments within the show, like either doing "My Mommy is Beautiful," or "Wish Tree," where people can write wishes and attach them to a tree that'll be in the building. We at the MCA want to provide these opportunities for people to really think about what it means, what peace actually means. Peace, I think, is an abstraction to a lot of people, but it's something that we're all calling for in different contexts across the world and, of course, in our city, given recent events.
WBBM: During this process of putting this exhibit together, no one knows what's going to be happening in the world, obviously, but as you are seeing what's happening in the city now and in other countries, what has it been like for you to see that a lot of what Yoko was advocating for and continues to in her work is almost directly relating to a lot of the things going on here in Chicago?
JJ: This exhibition is incredibly timely, given everything that's happening in the world, and typically at museums, we're working on shows anywhere from one year to 10 years, and this exhibition has been coming together over the last nearly two years, so we've seen every step of the way, how the work really reflects the moment. And now that the show is opening this week, I think the show itself does a fantastic job of giving people the time and the space to reflect on it. But, it's an incredible surprise that everything aligned at the right time. But you know, Yoko's work is timeless.
CM: I think that point about it being timeless is really important in the way that Yoko structures the work as well. If you look at an invitation like "war is over if you want it," while that was in response to the Vietnam War, it is anchored in any current event. And it brings you back to the imperative of that "if you want it," and the audience, the individual feeling like they have the ability to make change, and even if that starts with making change within themselves or within their community. And you know, for Yoko, the belief that, communication creates connection, and through connection, we can create peace.
WBBM: Is that something you hope people take away? Are there other messages that that you hope visitors take from this exhibit?
JJ: Absolutely. These notions around peace and also understanding that the personal is political, and what people bring to the table when they're participating in the various works, it's a valid way of expression. Yoko's practice is very open in that way to give the viewer or the reader agency over how they realize or interact with the work. And I think the show will really reorient people to how they experience performance, how they experience written language, how they experience moving through an institutional space.
CM: I think that's absolutely true. And the experience of being somebody who's maybe never made art or encountered much art in your life, being able to go into the museum and again, not just look at what's on the walls, but to perform, to participate, to leave a message, to add a drawing, to put yourself into the work, is really empowering for people. And I think you can come away from that feeling like there's new possibilities, and it can have a real cascading effect in your life. And you know, we hope that that reaches into ideas around creating peace as well.
JJ: Obviously, we want people to come inside of the museum, but on the MCA Plaza right now is a "Peace is Power" billboard, so people walking by it every day are also interacting with an artwork. And you know, we want them to come inside and experience the totality of the show. But that is what's really exciting about this is that the show really meets people where they are.
WBBM: I want to talk a little bit about some of the impacts this is going to have more broadly on the city. Kristen, in what ways does Choose Chicago anticipate this exhibit could impact the City of Chicago, financially, culturally?
KR: Chicago is used to hosting iconic events and bringing people from all over the world to whatever, whether it's Lollapalooza or the marathon or wonderful exhibits that we're experiencing here. I think the timeliness of something, the messaging of this, is really important for our city. Chicago has continued to defy this negative narrative that has been reflected upon us, event after event, week after week, with the response of positivity and love. The marathon that we just experienced could not have been more beautiful to see the people celebrate their perseverance and grit and hard work. We've got this event coming at a great time and also at a great time of the year, where people are going to be looking for things to do to keep them active and indoors and engaged. But I love the interaction of it. We're getting ready to open the Obama Presidential Center in June, which is being called the "home of hope." So all of these things, culminating in our city, is really reflective of who we are as a city and who we are as residents. The fact that we welcome these exhibits, that we still showcase them and highlight them in a time where a lot of other destinations aren't doing that, they're not celebrating art or culture or diversity. Chicago is doubling down on this. And we are saying we are the place where you can come and have these experiences that are positive and that reflect hope and peace and engagement and all of those things. So, Chicago is really excited about this exhibit. We look forward to making sure that everybody in the world knows that it's here in our city. It's really important for not only our residents but our visitors to understand that Chicago is the place that still embodies a lot of those American values of welcoming, where we support our immigrants. This is the city that still embodies those values and having this exhibit here is just another example of that. So we're really proud of it.
WBBM: Do you think that exhibits like these can make Chicago even more of a cultural hub that people want to come to?
KR: Of course. Chicago being the first city to host this exhibit in the United States is critically important because just in the same way that we've done with our culinary scene, Chicago is now known to be the culinary Mecca. We host the James Beard Awards every year. The more we welcome iconic exhibits like this that the world will be watching, the more it does set the stage and it raises the awareness of all of the other incredible museums and historical venues that are across all 77 of Chicago's neighborhoods. This expands that and broadens that reach to let people know that there are museums truly in every corner of our city that celebrate all sorts of cultures and historical references.
JJ: I'll also say, as someone who has lived and worked in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, there is no place like Chicago, and we are really excited for people to see this exhibition because we're an amazing city. Yoko is an amazing artist. This is the time for this show.
CM: As the total outsider, I just want to add that I — and as someone who spends most of their time traveling around the world to amazing institutions — that the MCA, the Art Institute, are two of the most incredible museums I've ever seen, and so it's really exciting for us to have Yoko's work in this context, and to be able to have it in Chicago. So it's an honor for Yoko and her work as well.
WBBM: I think we see, too, being able to have agencies like Choose Chicago ollaborate with the MCA. How can exhibits like this foster those relationships a bit more and strengthen that cultural bond between institutions and agencies here in Chicago?
KR: I think Chicago is a really unified city. That's one of the greatest things about this city is that we come together and Choose Chicago is here to amplify that. So we definitely encourage other institutions or art institutes or venues to reach out to us, because that's what we're here to do. Utilize all the resources in your community, leverage all of our wonderful expertise and experience and education. We lean on our partners in the art world and the cultural world to tell us what's going on and to bring us incredible exhibits like this that help us put Chicago on the map. And then when it comes time to announce it, they lean on us to make sure that the world knows about it. So we work very well together, and it's important that people know we're here for this city. And that's one of the greatest things about Chicagoans is we really do stand together.
WBBM: We've covered a lot, and there's a lot to look forward to with this exhibit. For people who are somehow not convinced to yet to go see this exhibit opening this weekend, why should people go see this exhibit?
JJ: We want people to have different experiences of an institution and of a museum like the MCA. I think sometimes the general public has difficulty seeing themselves within museums, and this is an exhibition that I think redefines what an exhibition can be. It invites the viewer into the museum to participate in various artworks, to listen to Yoko, to see her, to hear her, to engage with her ideas in different ways. As we've talked about, this is a very timely exhibition. I think that it is one that the public will enjoy quite a lot. And as I mentioned earlier, it really does meet the viewer where they are. And it's always an opportunity to learn. It's always a nice opportunity to learn about an artist in a different way. Of course, Yoko has been a public figure for a very long time, and I think this will be a fantastic introduction to those who are not as aware of her artistic practice, but also an opportunity for people to see a lot of her work in one place, and we're showing it at the MCA.
CM: There's multiple entry points for this exhibition for every viewer. If you've never heard of Yoko, you'll be able to come away with a wonderful chronological narrative understanding of her work and life in the last 70 years. If you know of Yoko through John Lennon and The Beatles, I think you could come away with a new understanding for how her work as an independent artist informed the work that her and John did together creatively projects like "War is Over! If You Want It" the bed-in for peace, among other events. And I think if you're an Ono aficionado and are very familiar with her work, you can come away with a better understanding of how Yoko was working between multiple creative communities in New York, in Tokyo, in London, and really acting as a communicator and an organizer in those communities to bring and help circulate ideas of that time in a really compelling and exciting way.
WBBM: Lastly, I believe there are is some other museum programming to accompany this exhibit. Jamila, can you talk a little bit about that?
JJ: There'll be performance within the galleries, but there's also going to be other performance-based programming. We will have a number of artists that are going to be realizing Yoko's scripts throughout the run of the exhibition. Nadya Tolokonnikova from the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, will be performing her work POLICE STATE at the MCA, which is very exciting. We'll also have various talks with artists like Laurie Anderson, and there'll be other events that happen throughout the run of the exhibition that will keep bringing people back to the show.
CM: Something I just want to add to that is that the MCA is, as Jamila said, is going to be activating performance in the galleries. And several of these performances are works that are instruction-based and have never been realized in a public setting before. So that's another exciting opportunity with Yoko's work in the show is potentially seeing works that have never been realized before.