2010 marked the 19th Annual Wreathing of the Lions. The Art Institute of Chicago invited Materious to reinterpret the wreath, a joyful symbol of the holiday season. The wreath concept combined the look of traditional North American cranberry wreaths with the hopeful spirit of Buddhist and Taoist wishing trees. In the wishing trees tradition, part of the lunar new year celebration, children throw oranges with attached paper notes over banyan trees. We integrated these two holiday customs by incorporating “wishes for the world in 2011,” written by Chicago-area children, into one of the 2,011 clear and red plastic spheres that make up the wreaths.
