Hirshhorn’s Official Start to Summer Kicks Off June 23 With Yoko Ono’s “Wish Tree,” Late Hours and Free Gelato
Museumgoers can stay up late for an artful take on the longest day of the year at the Hirshhorn’s free ‘Solstice Saturday’ open house Saturday, June 23, part of a Smithsonian-wide night of performances, programs and parties. From 10 a.m. until dusk, visitors can make their first wish of the summer at the opening of Yoko Ono’s iconic “Wish Tree” and savor free samples of Dolcezza’s new gelato ‘Orange Sunshine.’ Then, they can burn the midnight oil with late-night access to the Hirshhorn’s galleries, as well as music, lounging and cocktails on its outdoor modernist Plaza.
A summer favorite, Ono’s interactive artwork “Wish Tree for Washington, D.C.” invites visitors to tie handwritten wishes to branches of a living Japanese dogwood tree in the museum’s sculpture garden. Starting June 23 through Labor Day weekend, the tree will ‘bloom’ with thousands of hopes and ambitions, part of Ono’s global art project that has collected more than 1 million wishes from around the world.
Visitors will also get a chance to explore the just-opened special exhibitions “Baselitz: Six Decades,” the first major U.S. retrospective of legendary German artist Georg Baselitz in more than 20 years, and “Does the body rule the mind, or does the mind rule the body?,” presenting an exciting new generation of performance artists. Both are open to the public June 21.
Gelato fans can stop by Dolcezza Coffee & Gelato’s colorful outdoor pop-up shop to be the first to try the summer flavor ‘Orange Sunshine.’ Available exclusively at the Hirshhorn, the sorbet-style treat features alishan oolong tea with generous helpings of pixie tangerine juice.
‘Solstice Saturday’ is a new celebration inviting visitors to explore Smithsonian museums until midnight June 23, in honor of the first official day of summer. For a city-wide schedule, visit www.si.edu/solsticesaturday.
About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
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SI-352-2018
