Find the Penny, Make the Wish transformed a decrepit, disused fountain—titled Capitalism—inside Portland’s iconic, shifting Lloyd Center mall into an active, collective wishing well.

During a 30-minute public performance, Gili Rappaport temporarily filled the drained fountain with water and scattered pennies throughout the basin. Over 40 participants were invited to gather the coins, reflect on their intentions for a shared future, and throw them back into the water while shouting their wishes aloud.

In a responsive, echoing gesture, the surrounding crowd mimicked the movements and repeated each spoken wish—reviving the ancient ritual of the wishing well to reclaim commercial public space for collective intimacy, memory, and ritual.

"I wish that everything that is in the process of degrading... degrades exquisitely."

— Participant wish, June 2024

Press, Publications & Exhibitions

• Exhibitions: Assembly, Annual Social Practice Art Conference (PSU Art + Social Practice, June 2024)

• Press & Media: Willamette Week (Online & Print feature)

• Publications: Featured in Planet Lloyd (Final Issue)

• Artist & Lead Facilitator: Gili Rappaport

• Photography: Jada Reese

• Styling: Kye Grant

• Institutional Support: PSU Art + Social Practice