Once a dying tree in Matt Kotlarczyk’s front yard the crabapple tree was uprooted, and coated, from trunk to top branch in white rubber. The tree was dis-assembled, then re-assembled in the entrance of the Cincinnati Wing, waiting to be adorned with jeweled colored paper inserted into specially crafted glass vials, more than 1000 that will hang from each limb. 

At 16 feet tall, the tree is a giant interactive exhibit that encourages visitors to place handwritten wishes for the New Year into glass vials that then adorn the tree, bringing it to life. The wishes from the Tree of Life will later be burned, and the ashes will be used to plant a new tree at the Art Museum every year.