If you’re reading this from Marin County, the new Los Angeles exhibition “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind” at the Broad is honestly worth a look. It’s a rare chance to see a legendary artist’s seven-decade journey—everything from conceptual art and instructional pieces to anti-war activism and those deeply personal collaborations with John Lennon.
Ono is 93 now, still in New York, and she’s not traveling for the opening. Even so, the Broad’s retrospective gives you a sweeping sense of her influence on art, music, and the peace movement. Her works hit home for Marin’s own communities—think Sausalito, Mill Valley, and San Rafael—just as much as they do for folks in LA.
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What this retrospective covers
Walking through the Broad’s galleries, you get a portrait of Ono that goes back before her Lennon years. The show moves through seven decades, spotlighting her early avant-garde work and her lifelong activism for peace.
There’s a mix of instructional art, participatory pieces, and performances that really shaped her career. You’ll see everything from printed instructions in Grapefruit to live actions that pull the audience right in. The retrospective also revisits those landmark moments with Lennon, but it keeps Ono’s practice front and center, not just as Lennon’s partner.
Iconic works and moments you’ll encounter
- Grapefruit (1964) and other instructional works invite you to participate and interpret. That’s pretty much the heart of Ono’s early approach.
- Painting to Hammer a Nail and other interactive pieces make the viewer part of the art-making process.
- Cut Piece (1964)—the performance where Ono asked the audience to cut away her clothing—gets restaged at REDCAT on July 18–19 with performance artist MPA. It’s still powerful, even now.
- The Wish Trees in the Broad courtyard let visitors tie written wishes to olive trees. It’s a gentle, public gesture, a softer side compared to some of her more confrontational works.
- There’s video and performance footage, including from the Montreal Bed-In for Peace with Lennon. Ono’s collaborations really highlight anti-war messages and social activism.
- Outdoor and billboard elements—peace-promoting images and live performances—were developed with Tate Modern, taking the show outside the usual gallery walls.
Practical details for Marin visitors
The Broad’s main galleries are free, but this show needs a $21 ticket. If you’re coming from the Bay Area, Thursdays are free with an advance reservation. That’s a solid option if you want to make a long weekend out of it—maybe from Fairfax or Corte Madera—and fit in some Southern California sightseeing, too.
The exhibition runs from May 23 to Oct. 11. That’s a nice window if you’re planning a spring or early fall getaway from Sausalito’s waterfront to downtown LA. If you want to see the Cut Piece restaging, mark July 18–19 at REDCAT on your calendar. It’s just a quick ride from the Broad, perfect for a day trip or a longer LA stay. Besides the main works, you’ll see billboards and live music performances that echo Ono’s contemplative and provocative style.
Plan your trip from Marin: tips for travelers
- Coming from Sausalito or Tiburon? Make it a multi-day weekend. That way, you’ll have time for art, food, and maybe a stroll along the Santa Monica or downtown LA scene. On the way back, take the coast or hop on the ferry to the North Bay if you’re feeling adventurous.
- Check for Thursday reservations at the Broad. Free gallery access is a nice perk, especially if you’re juggling a busy week in Mill Valley or San Rafael.
- Pair the Ono retrospective with other LA cultural stops—music venues, outdoor sculpture, or nearby museums. You can build a Marin-to-LA itinerary that celebrates both Ono’s message and Marin’s own creative spirit.
Marin connections: why this matters here
In Marin County—from the village lanes of San Anselmo to the harbor-side vistas of Sausalito—artists and activists have always mixed social engagement with creative practice. Ono’s focus on peace, collaboration, and audience participation really echoes Marin’s own values.
Community art projects in San Rafael’s Marin Center and Mill Valley’s galleries often invite the public to join in. The Broad show gives Marin viewers a rare chance to see how a global icon turned intimate acts into a worldwide conversation.
Honestly, that’s something many Marin-based artists and neighbors try to do in their own backyards, whether at a waterfront festival in Tiburon or a gallery crawl in Larkspur.
Yoko Ono’s Music of the Mind at the Broad isn’t just an art show—it’s a portal into a life that challenges norms, invites participation, and chases peace through culture. For Marin County readers, it’s a nudge that our own communities, from Sausalito to San Rafael, are part of a much bigger conversation about art, action, and the wild power of collective imagination.
Here is the source article for this story: Yoko Ono finally gets a solo show in Southern California
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