Ahead of its reopening on August 29, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is putting an uplifting new artwork by Yoko Ono on view across its iconic Fifth Avenue facade. The piece, which is titled DREAM TOGETHER (2020), comprises two banners respectively bearing the words “DREAM” and “TOGETHER” in black lettering on a white background, and it was conceived in response to the current Covid-19 pandemic. The banners are set to be unveiled on Thursday.
The “DREAM” banner will be shown south of the institution’s main entrance, and its “TOGETHER” counterpart will be on its north side. Ono’s work joins a series of four bronze sculptures by Wangechi Mutu that are currently on display in the museum’s exterior niches. The museum recently acquired two of those Mutu sculptures for its permanent collection.
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Ono said in a statement, “When we dream together, we create a new reality. The world is suffering terribly, but we are together, even if it can be hard to see at times, and our only way through this crisis will be together.”
Max Hollein, director of the museum, said in a release that the banners convey “an urgent, poetic message of unity, positivity, and aspiration,” adding, “As the world begins to slowly emerge from this unprecedented time of distress, uncertainty, and isolation, and as important calls to action are happening and being heard throughout the U.S., Yoko’s DREAM TOGETHER invites fellow New Yorkers to honor the challenges, the suffering, and the loss by inspiring hope and acknowledging connection.”
Following New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s announcement that New York City museums can welcome visitors once again starting August 24, other major institutions have revealed their planned reopening dates. The Museum of Modern Art has said it will reopen on August 27, and the Whitney Museum will begin welcoming the public on September 3.