Frequently Asked Questions

Wishes From… aims to create a feeling of camaraderie and empathy, introduce art to those who may not have regular access to it, explore the power intention and thought, compare climates, landscapes and cultures, and reflect what individual participants and society as a whole are experiencing.

It is proven that the study of art and the challenging questions it brings increases cognitive function. It is also proven that exercising creativity, the appreciation of nature, and feeling a sense of community has beneficial and even heating qualities. Wishes From… contains all of the above – thousands of individual wishes in the form of artistic expressions shared among nature.

Wishes From… reaches its mission through participation, social media, global exposure, the installment period, and photo and video documentation.

Wishes From… was first tested on Nantucket Island in 2011 in response to a local tragedy and the increase of drug use and violence during the off season. Artistic Director Mark Carapezza and a small team of friends collected, dyed, and ripped used bedsheets into flags and attended schools, elderly homes, local events and private parties to collect wishes.

After 3 years, 3,000 wishes collected, and permission from the town of Nantucket and private land owners for installment, each flag was sewn to twine to create strands of flags at sewing parties complete with music, food, drinks, and multiple sewing machines.

Then, under a full moon in March, Mark and the team installed 215 strands of flags in playgrounds, historical sights, cemeteries, front yards, and hiking trails. From afar it was beautiful – thousands of tiny flags dotting the landscape, reflecting the light and wind, adding color to the grey Nantucket winter. Up close it was profound – thousands of wishes, each unique, accenting individuals and the community as a whole.

In the end it became a shared memory created not from tragedy or disaster but from teamwork and art. The positive impact on and response from the public lead to the idea of producing it again with multiple towns simultaneously, and, in 2019 Wishes From Rishikesh & Nantucket went into production to capture pictures and video of the process and installment to be used to create production manuals so schools and individuals at home could participate.

Wishes From Rishikesh & Nantucket was well under way when COVID-19 hit and production was put on hold. However, having captured the necessary photos and video to create the manuals and with the wish flags already collected from Rishikesh & Nantucket as a springboard, it was decided to move forward and launch Wishes From…The Global Participatory Environmental Art Event.

And now here we are. Your participation and help is pivotal.

Environmental Art has one or more of the following characteristics:
• It is affected or powered by natural elements.
• It decays.
• It is concerned with environmental forces and materials.
• It informs or interprets nature and its processes.
• It proposes new ways to co-exist with environment.
• It restores environments or ecosystems.

The installation period will coincide with lunar cycle, Full Moon to Full Moon.

One may wish for whatever they want as long as it does not harm another person, place, or thing.

All strands are property of Wishes From and returned to the Wishes From Headquarters. The wish flags will be used for quilts and memorabilia.

To pre-existing immoveable objects highlighting local landscapes, history, community, and culture of participants. No hardware is used, no path is crossed, and there is no trace of project once de-installed.

Anyone may host one or more installment locations. For more information see the Hosting Strands of Wishes in either MANUAL.