FREE DAYS
Free days for Colorado residents are held throughout the year at both Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, thanks to funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
 
Free Day at Denver Botanic Gardens takes place on Monday, Oct. 1

EXHIBITS & ART AT THE GARDENS
Denver Botanic Gardens is one of the premiere locations for world-class art, special exhibits and innovative programs.
Exhibition details subject to change. Visit www.botanicgardens.org for details.

KIZUNA: WEST MEETS EAST
Through November 4
Denver Botanic Gardens
This season Denver Botanic Gardens proudly unveils the new Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion and Tea Garden with an expanded Japanese Garden (Shofu-En). Kizuna, meaning “the bonds between people” in Japanese, celebrates the profound influence Japan has had on the West by presenting large site-specific art installations in bamboo by internationally-known artists Tetsunori Kawana and Stephen Talasnik. Explore bamboo’s power and versatility in a variety of forms, including living plant displays.

Tetsunori Kawana is a contemporary Japanese installation artist and ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) master. His bamboo installations have been exhibited internationally at institutions including the New York Botanical Gardens, the Moscow National Museum of Russian Fine Art, the 1996 Arte Sella Biennale (Italy), and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Kawana has long held natural materials close to the heart of his artistic practice. A student of Hiroshi Teshigahara, third grand master of the progressive Sogetsu School of Ikebana, Kawana’s background in living materials and responsiveness to the rhythms of nature lent itself naturally to sculpture with similar sensibilities. Kawana translates the philosophy of ikebana into architecturally-sized bamboo sculptures emphasizing the beauty, strength, and flexibility of the medium. With acute sensitivity to both the drama and subtlety of nature, he transforms poles of bamboo into breathtaking structures of energy and power. His works not only engage an individual’s five senses, but also harness the principles of godai, the Japanese philosophy of five elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Void (sky). Kawana works in green bamboo, which he splits, bends, and manipulates into surprising forms that are individually designed for each site.

Stephen Talasnik is a critically-acclaimed draftsman, sculptor, and installation artist whose work reflects a conversation between fine art and architecture. Featured in the New York Times and in Sculpture magazine, Talasnik has exhibited internationally at institutions including Storm King Art Center (NY), Marlborough Gallery (NYC), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Germany). His work is held in the permanent collections of institutions throughout the world, with notable collections including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum (NY); the British Museum in London; the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Albertina, Vienna.

A graduate of the famed Rhode Island School of Design, Talasnik spent several years teaching in Tokyo and studying architecture before moving to New York in 1991. Talasnik draws on many influences, ranging from 1960s futurism to urban planning and visionary architecture. Also present in his work are the fluid forms of nature and the exacting skill of both Piranesi and Brunelleschi.

In 2000, Talasnik began producing both large- and small-scale bamboo sculptures of the same complex, visionary structures that seem to hang weightless in his drawings. Forms meander like rivers or appear to float in space.
 
After an intense design process, Talasnik uses hundreds of bamboo poles to construct large, site-specific structurally-transparent sculptures

EXHIBITION GUIDED TOURS

KIZUNA: WEST MEETS EAST TOURS
Celebrate art, culture, and garden tradition through marvelous bamboo displays, the Japanese Garden complex and other standing focal points for Kizuna, our 2012 signature exhibition. Gardens Docents will take you on guided tours through our grounds to discover western and eastern bonds between people, art, and plants. 

Drop-in tours are available on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. Free with admission, dependent on guide availability.

Tours can be scheduled for groups of 10 or more with three weeks advance notice.

For more details about guided tours, contact tours@botanicgardens.org or 720-865-3539.

GATES GARDEN COURT GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
 
SOMEONE LIKE YOU: PAINTINGS BY MARGARET KASAHARA
Through Nov. 4, 2012
Gates Garden Court Gallery
Denver Botanic Gardens
Artist Margaret Kasahara uses the lightness of kitsch and humor to explore the heavy topics of stereotypes and personal identity. As a Japanese American living in the West, her colorful images pull from Japanese pop culture and manga, as well as cowboy hats and hamburgers. Exhibition organized in collaboration with Sandra Phillips Gallery, Denver.

Margaret Kasahara was born in New York City, raised in Boulder, Colorado and currently resides in Colorado Springs. She received a BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, where she graduated with honors. She has exhibited her artwork at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Denver Art Museum, the Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado, the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico, the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California, and the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Buell Children’s Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited in gallery shows in Dallas; Houston; Kansas City, MO; New York City; Salt Lake City; Santa Fe and Toronto, Canada. She has been the recipient of national and regional awards for both her paintings and drawings. In addition to the inclusion in numerous private and corporate collections, her artwork has also been commissioned for editorial and corporate print media, including American Express, Banco de Mexico, Cunard Cruise Lines, Euro Disney/France, Four Seasons Hotel, Hyatt Regency/Japan, McDonald’s, Nordstrom and the New York Times Magazine. Additional commissions include a mural for the Town of Castle Rock, Colorado Police Department and Municipal Court Facility. She is represented by Art & Soul Gallery in Boulder and the Sandra Phillips Gallery in Denver, Colorado.

EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS

IKEBANA: BALANCE, HARMONY AND FORM WITH DIANA LEE
2012 BONFILS-STANTON SERIES
Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
While Western flower arrangements emphasize decoration and a means to immediate visual pleasure through the use of color combinations and flowers in full bloom, the Japanese Ikebana arrangement’s focus is more minimalist and contemplative. It asks the viewer to consider the rhythm and innate order of nature through the arrangement’s application of linear design – lines representing Heaven, Mankind and Earth. As within the natural world, the Ikebana design is asymmetrical yet balanced. The lack of symmetry is indicative of the Asian Yin/Yang theory of bringing nature’s extremes together to provide a natural balance and sense of harmony.
 
This ancient art form has an amazing contemporary feel that can fit perfectly in your home and workplace. Lee will present a broad range of materials used in Ikebana, as well as divulge how and where to obtain such materials locally and how to create unique arrangements for different environments and purposes. Lee will create four arrangements, each depicting one of the four seasons of the Rocky Mountains West. 

RELATED WORKSHOP: IKEBANA FLOWER ARRANGING WITH DIANA LEE
Friday, Oct. 26
Denver Botanic Gardens
Become inspired by trying your hand at creating two different Ikebana arrangements.  Certified Ikebana teachers will be on hand to provide each participant with individualized coaching.

BAMBOO & YOU MINI-CAMP
Friday, Oct. 26
Denver Botanic Gardens
A one-day children’s camp focused on bamboo; explore connections to the Kizuna exhibition on the grounds.

2012 CHIPOTLE SUSTAINABLE FILM SERIES

American Meat
Thursday, October 11, 6-8 p.m.
Mitchell Hall
Denver Botanic Gardens
For the third year, Chipotle returns as the Presenting Sponsor of the Sustainable Food Film Series, benefiting Denver Botanic Gardens.  Please check the website (www.botanicgardens.org) for full program descriptions.

American Meat, Directed by Graham Meriwether
The acclaimed new documentary American Meat chronicles America’s grassroots revolution in sustainable meat production. The film explains our current industrial meat system, and shows the feedlots and confinement operations, not through hidden cameras but through the eyes of the farmers who live and work there. The film then shifts to the burgeoning sustainable, local-food movement made up of farmers, food advocates, chefs and everyday folks who could change everything about the way meat reaches the American table. The film frames the debate on whether sustainable meat production could ever meet the needs of consumers and showcases farmers who believe they can.

Food tasting at 6 p.m., film begins at 6:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE (A suggested donation of $5 supports educational programming at Denver Botanic Gardens)

2012 ORANGERY DISPLAY
JAPANESE-THEMED DISPLAY – Through November 18
Chrysanthemums, bamboo and character pines will be on display in our Orangery. Come walk among the bright, warm colors of fall.
 
EVENTS AT DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Our calendar includes many more events, classes and lectures.
Visit www.botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3585 for details.
 

MOMMY AND ME YOGA (DADDIES TOO!)
Monday afternoons
3 – 4:30 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Certified yoga instructor Chris Anne Coviello and her daughter will lead you and your baby in exercises, dances and relaxation movements that will allow you and your child to rejoice together. As your children stay by your side, you will move, breathe dance, stretch and strengthen. The children will then join you for their turn with movement, coordinated with songs, dancing and brain development exercises. Yoga is an excellent way for moms to get back into shape quickly, and for dads to stay in shape – and to meet other new parents.
Cost: $12 members, $14 non-members
Two-for-one class price applies (Mommy & Daddy or two Guardians and baby)

KUNDALINI YOGA
Monday evenings
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Morrison Center
Denver Botanic Gardens
The ancient and sacred practice of Kundalini yoga is the oldest form of yoga, kept secret by advanced yogis until recently. From your very first class, you'll reap the rewards –  including relief from back pain, stress, addiction, depression and insomnia, and weight control. Kundalini yoga promises you peace of mind. Elevate and experience yourself through this ancient science! All levels welcome; no experience required. Please bring water and a yoga mat.
Cost: Single session: $8 member, $10 non-member/drop-in rate.
Instructor: Chris Anne Coviello

THEATRE HIKES – THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
Wednesday, Oct. 3 and Thursday, Oct. 18
5 – 7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Theatre-Hikes Colorado presents an exciting retelling of Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” at Denver Botanic Gardens. Audience and actors take a moderate hike throughout the Gardens while scenes from the story of Ichabod Crane and the mysterious Headless Horseman are performed along the way. Audience members are encouraged to bring water, comfortable walking shoes, camping chairs and/or blankets to sit on while watching the scenes.
Cost: $20 (includes admission into the Gardens) Free for children 2 and under

CORN MAZE
Every Fri., Sat. and Sun., Through Oct. 28
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
Negotiate the twists and turns of the newly designed cornfield this fall at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield’s Corn Maze – one of the most attended corn mazes in the country. Each year the design of the 8-acre Maze changes, creating a new and better challenge! The maze features numerous winding pathways created by 12-foot tall stalks of corn. Two 15-foot tall illuminated bridges overlook the giant Corn Maze, and a mini-maze will thrill younger children. On Friday and Saturday nights, teenagers and adults can explore the new 2-acre haunted maze.
 
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield is located at 8500 West Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton, just south of C-470 on Wadsworth Blvd.

PUMPKIN FESTIVAL
Oct. 12, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Oct. 13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Oct. 14, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
Come search for the perfect pumpkin for all your Halloween and fall festivities in Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield’s 10-acre pumpkin patch. The weekend will be filled with exciting children’s activities and vendors selling handcrafted gifts. Additionally, you can explore the 750 acres of native flora, fauna and beautiful wetlands at Chatfield. Discover myriad animals at the working farm and take a walk through some of the 2 ½ miles of nature trails.
Cost: $7 Adults, $5 Children ages 3 – 12, Free for children 2 and under

GHOSTS IN THE GARDENS
October 19, 20, 21, 26 &28
Denver Botanic Gardens
Back by popular demand! Denver Botanic Gardens is the mile high garden of Eden, but underneath a couple inches of soil lays a sobering history of Wild West shoot outs, claim jumps, and other shady happenings. It was a wild time, and wild lives required quiet resting places, such as Calvary Cemetery, the land upon which the Gardens now exists. In daylight hours, Denver Botanic Gardens is a peaceful urban oasis. However, at night, a haunted atmosphere emerges. Ghosts in the Gardens tours dig through history and recount decades of the paranormal through eye witness reports in one of the city’s most haunted places. Children 12-years old and older are welcomed. This tour is not recommended for younger children.
Cost: $20 Member; $25 Non-member

HAUNTED MAZE AT CHATFIELD
Every Fri. and Sat. in October
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
Venture through our 2-acre haunted maze at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. This heart-pounding trek features terrifying live actors, amazing special effects and incredible monsters – an experience sure to send chills down your spine! This attraction is for teenagers and adults only. Please check www.botanicgardens.org for details on hours and prices.

FOOD DAY 2012
Oct. 24, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Celebrate the second annual Food Day, a nationwide campaign promoting delicious, healthy and affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. Denver Botanic Gardens, along with Denver Urban Gardens and community partners, will host an all day festival with hands-on cooking for adults & kids, speakers with expertise in food access, nutrition as well as film screenings. Made possible by the generosity of Chipotle, admission to the Gardens is FREE, and all events are free and open to the public.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
Saturday, Oct. 27
5 - 8 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens celebrates Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a festival of “welcome" for the souls of the dead. This celebration will feature live entertainment, artists and dancers. Attendees will enjoy a “Sugar Skull” making area, an area where they can create “Papel Picado”, and more. Complimentary face painting stations and a complimentary photo booth will also be on hand.

2012 BONFILS-STANTON LECTURE SERIES
Keep up with current trends and innovative gardens by attending lectures by renowned speakers from around the country. Here is your chance to learn from the best.
To register, visit www.botanicgardens.org and click on the “programs” link, e-mail registrar@botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3580.

2012 BONFILS-STANTON SERIES
BEYOND BARK: PLAYING, LEARNING, GROWING IN DENVER’S CANOPY
A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.
John Muir

In this Year of the Tree, we are reminded of what these magnificent creations mean to us and what their very idea has (and will continue to) conjured up and stirred within each of us.

Our 2012 series will feature a variety of speakers who have each been immensely inspired by trees and the natural world. Their inspirations have led the speakers to diverse expressions from the building of fantastical tree houses, to creating a miniature depiction of nature with bonsai, to seeing beyond the ordinary and capturing the uniqueness and beauty of bark on camera.

A parallel series of smaller more intimate workshops will accompany the lectures and provide personal opportunities to create, to grow and to experience. Be sure to visit the Bonfils-Stanton Series page on our website for more information on the series and speakers.

OCTOBER LECTURE
IKEBANA: BALANCE, HARMONY AND FORM
Diana Lee
Thursday, October 25
7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Mitchell Hall
While Western flower arrangements emphasize decoration and a means to immediate visual pleasure through the use of color combinations and flowers in full bloom, the Japanese Ikebana arrangement’s focus is more minimalist and contemplative. It asks the viewer to consider the rhythm and innate order of nature through the arrangement’s application of linear design – lines representing heaven, mankind and earth. As within the natural world, the Ikebana design is asymmetrical yet balanced. The lack of symmetry is indicative of the Asian Yin/Yang theory of bringing nature’s extremes together to provide a natural balance and sense of harmony.

This ancient art form has an amazing contemporary feel that can fit perfectly in your home and workplace. Lee will present a broad range of materials used in Ikebana, as well as divulge how and where to obtain such materials locally and how to create unique arrangements for different environments and purposes. Lee will create four arrangements, each depicting one of the four seasons of the Rocky Mountains West. 

Born in Shanghai, China, raised in Hong Kong, and educated in the United States, Dr. Diana Lee was trained as a petroleum geologist and mechanical engineer. She was a professor in renewable energy and land use and resource management at the State University of New York System where she was twice honored as Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Listed in the International Who’s Who of Women, Outstanding Women of the 20th Century, et al. Lee has spent the past five decades enthusiastically pursuing the art of Ikebana and holds numerous advanced teacher certificates from the headquarters of the Sogetsu School in Tokyo, Japan.

*Related Workshop*
Ikebana Flower Arranging, with Diana Lee
Friday, October 26
Become inspired by trying your hand at creating two different Ikebana arrangements.  Certified Ikebana teachers will be on hand to provide each participant with individualized coaching.

CAFÉ BOTANIQUE
Every First and Third Thursday
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
This lecture environment provides an atmosphere where botanical science, research and the arts come together for academia, artists and the general public to enrich understanding of plants, art and people and engage in community dialogue. There is no admission fee and pre-registration is not required. Refreshments will be provided.

HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Our hours support the novice and professional plant enthusiast. Make use of journals, books, and video resources. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Friday.
 
GARDENING HELP
Colorado Master Gardeners have answers to your gardening questions! Master Gardeners are on site Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 12 – 4 p.m. Access our experts the following ways:
• In-person at the Gardens' Helen Fowler Library
• By phone: 720-865-3575
• Via email: gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org

Gardening Help is a joint program of Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Denver Botanic Gardens.