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 at Chatfield takes place on Friday, June 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.

ART AT THE GARDENS

Signature Exhibition:
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

KENICHI NAGAKURA: FLUID DUALITY
Through August 5
Gates Garden Court Gallery
Denver Botanic Gardens
Nagakura expands the Japanese tradition of bamboo baskets, moving beyond the functional into the realm of abstract sculptural forms. Using splitting and plaiting techniques learned from his grandfather, the artist creates forms that are bold and expressionistic. Organized in collaboration with Tai Gallery, Santa Fe.

Unaffiliated with any of Japan's craft arts organizations, Nagakura is the first recipient of the Cotsen Bamboo Prize, awarded in 2000, and an esteemed independent artist for more than 20 years.

Nagakura’s organic, contemporary pieces are rooted in the functional baskets made for centuries for flower arranging at Japanese tea ceremonies but also borrow from wide-ranging sources, including European sculpture, the American pop art movement, indigenous Japanese forms, and cord-patterned clay work from the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. His fine plaiting mimics complex line drawing and the graceful shapes of his vessels are inspired by human form and by objects from the natural world, such as fallen leaves, emerging shoots, and cocoons.

EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS

JOURNEY TO JAPAN SUMMER CAMP
June 25 – 29
Denver Botanic Gardens

EVENTS

MEMBER ONLY MORNINGS
Gardens members gain access to the city’s oasis prior to the general public. Something special every time. 7-9am on Friday, June 15.

2012 ORANGERY DISPLAY
SPECIALTY ANNUALS DISPLAY – through August
A variety of annuals will be on display in our new Orangery. Come walk among the bright, sunny colors of summer.

 
EVENTS AT DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Our calendar includes many more events, classes and lectures.
For more details including class listings and/or to register, visit http://catalog.botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3580.

 
SUNRISE T'AI CHI IN THE GARDENS
Tuesday mornings, 7-8:30 a.m.
T'ai Chi classes will be offered by the T'ai Chi Project of Denver. Come learn why The T’ai Chi Project has been successful in its mission of teaching T’ai Chi to so many. Participation allows the learning of the most ancient part of the preparation for T’ai Chi with a session of active learning. All fitness levels are welcome.
Cost: $8 member, $10 non-member.
Instructors: Joe Brady and Jacqui Shumway

SUNRISE VINYASA YOGA IN THE GARDENS
Thursday mornings, 7-8:30 a.m.
Vinyasa yoga classes will be offered at the beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens. Vinyasa yoga is a style of yoga where asanas (postures) are linked with breath, creating beautiful movement and flow from one posture to the next. The challenge of the postures and the sense of peace and calm that is cultivated by the end of each yoga class can improve posture, flexibility, and endurance. Beyond the physical benefits, yoga has the ability to positively affect all aspects of life. All levels welcome. Please bring a mat, a towel and water.
Cost: $8 member, $10 non-member.
Instructor: Blake Burger

CHILDREN’S CLASSES AND CAMPS
SEEDLINGS CLASSES FOR TODDELERS AND PRESCHOOLERS (AGES 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning mid-January
Denver Botanic Gardens
Seedlings classes offer a fun, hands-on way for young children, ages 18 months to six years, to explore the plant world while developing an understanding and appreciation for plants and their impor¬tance. Classes include interactive explorations, nature walks and stories for children and their caregivers. Seedlings programs are offered for three different age groups and are modified to fit the developmental needs of each group.

18-24 months, Tuesdays 9:30-10:15 or 10:45-11:30
Stimulate the senses through hands-on experiences with nature.
Cost: $8 per class for members; $10 per class for non-members.

24-36 months, Thursdays 9:30-10:15 or 10:45-11:30
Experience nature through art, movement, songs, stories and the senses.
Cost: $8 per class for members; $10 per class for non-members.

3-5 years, Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 or 11:00-12:00
Dig deeper into the subject with fun activities and projects to take home.
Cost: $10 per class for members; $12 per class for non-members.

GARDEN CAMPS FOR KIDS (AGES 6-12)
Denver Botanic Gardens

WEEK-LONG CAMPS
Grow your mind, plant a new friend and dig into the Gardens with our week-long day camps. Each camp contains a variety of activities that allow you discover the world of plants through art, science, cooking, gardening and outdoor exploration.
Cost: $239 members, $259 non-members. Scholarships are available, call for details.

FAMILY FUN NIGHTS
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Denver Botanic Gardens
Gather the family together on the first Saturday of each month, April to October, for a unique opportunity to explore nature at night in the Mordecai Children’s Garden. Each month brings a new theme with performers in Sagebrush Stage, snacks by the campfire, moon gazing on Marmot Mountain and other fun night time activities. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy in the Children’s Garden. For updated information, please visit our website and let your family’s nightlife bloom.

Cost per night: $20 member for a family of four, $3 for each additional person. $25 non-member for a family of four, $4 for each additional person. Children two and under are free of charge.
 
Spring into Summer – June 2, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

CHATFIELD CONCERT SERIES
Through September
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
The amphitheater at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield will offer the crystal clear music of some of the world’s most sought-after artists in a country setting.

GARDEN GRAPES & HOPS
Friday, June 8, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Preview Hour – 5-6:30 p.m.
After Party – 9:30-11 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Experience a great event for the summer season at the Garden Grapes & Hops garden party, which features all-you-can-eat food and drink samples from nearly 20 local restaurants, along with several breweries and wineries.
 
Wine and beer will be served along with a variety of soft drinks. A single ticket price includes admission to the Gardens, all food and drink, and entertainment.

GUIDED WILDFLOWER TOURS ON MOUNT GOLIATH
Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays, Late June through early August
Discover the life cycles and lore of the alpine tundra and the intense beauty of a natural garden that lasts only 40 frost-free days on a guide-led interpretive tour on the M. Walter Pesman Trail at Mount Goliath. The hike is a moderately difficult, 1.5-mile downhill trek from an altitude of 12,152-11,540 feet. Mount Goliath, a mountain peak section of the Mount Evans area, is 17 miles from Idaho Springs and located within the Arapaho National Forest. The wildflowers, ancient bristlecone pine trees and awesome vistas make for a delightful hike in one of Colorado’s most beautiful natural areas. Hikes begin at 9 a.m.; please allow time for travel to the meeting location. Directions and instructions are available upon registration.
 
Reservations are required and must be made at least a week in advance. Mount Goliath tours are open to adults and children 10 and older.

MORDECAI CHILDREN’S GARDEN
FREE DROP-IN PROGRAMS
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Denver Botanic Gardens
Guests can enhance their visit to the Mordecai Children’s Garden with one of our free drop-in activities. Drop-in activities are offered daily (April through October) and help connect children to the wonders of the natural world. Activities are free with admission and do not require any advanced reservation. Activities are led by volunteers and are weather dependent. Occasionally, they may be cancelled due to inclement weather or volunteer unavailability.

AMERICAN GARDEN AWARD
June – First Frost
Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street
Gardens’ visitors can help choose the most popular flower in the United States. Denver Botanic Gardens is one of 28 public gardens in the country participating in the “American Garden Award” competition. Located at the All-America Selections (AAS) Garden, visitors, patrons and gardeners can cast their vote for their favorite flower in the competition by sending a text message, dialing a toll-free number, or mailing in a pre-paid postcard. Signage at the garden will coach people through the voting process.
 
Plant entries in the 2012 competition are:
Angelonia angustfolia ‘Serena Blue’
Begonia Boliviensis 'Santa Cruz Sunset'
Gazania ‘Big Kiss™ White Flame’
Petchoa x Hybrida 'SuperCal Pink Ice PPAF'
Petunia ‘Surfinia® Deep Red’
Sunflower 'Goldie' F1

Voting is open June 1. Winners will be announced in September.  After votes have been counted in the fall, three American Garden Award winners will be announced as the sovereign ornamentals, chosen by popular vote.
 
 
BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION CLASSES
Art meets science in this certification program for the dedicated illustrator, as well as the devoted amateur. With more than150 classes and workshops offered, artists combine scientific accuracy with an aesthetic vision to create beautiful botanicals. Whether you have painted for years or did your last great work in grade school, our instructors will meet you where you are to begin your botanical art journey.
To register for a class, visit http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Default.aspx?tagid=10 or call the registrar at 720-865-3580.

THE ELEGANT LINE: CALLIGRAPHY II
Mon., June 4, 11
1 – 4 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Whether working in a formal or an informal script, the brush is natural for creating elegant letterforms. Learn how to maneuver the lively springy character of the brush to bring life to letterforms and decorative strokes. Explore media other than black ink to add the final, personal touch to every artwork.
Cost: $192 member, $245 non-member.
Instructor: Constance Sayas

BOTANY FOR THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR
*Weekend Workshop
Friday – Sunday, June 1 – 3
9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The science of the subjects you draw determines what you see! Take a close look at plant anatomy and learn to recognize botanical details that will make your drawings more accurate and realistic.
Cost: $205 member, $260 non-member.
Instructor: Constance Sayas

COMPOSITION FOR BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
Tue., June 5, 12, 19, 26, July 3
6 – 9 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The arrangement of line, shape and color in artwork is an art form in itself. Learn how to use compositional elements and principles in your art.
Fee: $205 member, $260 non-member.
Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

THE ELEGANT LINE: CALLIGRAPHY II
Thursday, June 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12
1 – 4 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Whether working in a formal or an informal script, the brush is natural for creating elegant letterforms. Learn how to maneuver the lively springy character of the brush to bring life to letterforms and decorative strokes. Explore media other than black ink to add the final, personal touch to every artwork.
Cost: $192 member, $245 non-member.
Instructor: Renee Jorgensen

 
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.

JUNE LECTURE
BONSAI: REFLECTIONS ON LIFE
David De Groot
Thursday, June 14
7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street
Mitchell Hall
To most Americans, bonsai are horticulture novelties – charming little products of a gardening subset similar to topiary and dish gardening. In Japan, however, bonsai has long been recognized as a fine art with the same seriousness of intent and depth of meaning as poetry, music, painting or sculpture. A bonsai artist communicates not only through the design of the bonsai itself, but through the manner in which it is displayed.  Statements might be as simple as a celebration of a season or as profound as the nobility of life in the face of overwhelming odds. 

De Groot’s presentation will have you traveling with him to visit various private collections, exhibits and museums in Japan to examine traditional aesthetic principles and styles, followed by examples of both traditional and contemporary display.

David De Groot has been curator of Weyerhaeuser’s Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection since its creation in 1989. He is an award-winning designer and author, who has been studying and practicing bonsai since 1972. He has studied bonsai in Japan with Yasuo Mitsuya, satsuki with Tatemori Gondo and Hayata Nakayama, and display with Uhaku Sudo. His educational journal articles have been published throughout the U.S. and in eight foreign countries, and his book Basic Bonsai Design is now in its sixth printing.  David travels widely to lecture, and has presented programs across the U.S. and in Brazil, Canada, China, England, South Africa, and Venezuela. He is active with several bonsai organizations in the Puget Sound area, and has served two terms on the board of directors of the American Bonsai Society.

RELATED TOUR
Touring Shofu-en
Thursday, June 14
6 p.m.
An in-depth tour of the Japanese Garden offers an opportunity to learn and admire the role of trees and Bonsai within this landscape. Shofu-en, the garden of wind and pines, is a place of tranquil beauty that invites you to re-discover it again and again.

RELATED WORKSHOP
Beginner Bonsai Design, with David De Groot
Friday, June 15
Discover your inner bonsai artist!  Master bonsai artist, David De Groot, will introduce you to all the rudiments of bonsai design and styling techniques. Plant materials will be provided.

Advanced Bonsai Design, with David De Groot
Friday, June 15
Take your bonsai designing skills to the next level with David De Groot leading the way.  De Groot will offer guidance.
 
HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Enjoy extended hours to 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.
 
View the online catalog at www.botanicgardens.org.
 
GARDENING HELP
We have answers to your gardening questions! Colorado Master Gardeners are available to answer questions. Master Gardeners are also on site from noon – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Access our experts the following ways:
• In-person at the Gardens' Helen Fowler Library
• By phone: 720-865-3575
• Via e-mail: gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org

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