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

SEPTEMBER SKY FAMILY NIGHT
Wednesday, September 1
Denver Botanic Gardens
Moonviewing, or O-Tsukimi, is a traditional Japanese festival which honors the full moon in autumn.

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
Saturday, Sept. 8, 15 & 29, 10 a.m. – Noon
Sunday, Sept. 9, 16 & 30, 10 a.m. – Noon
Ella Mullen Weckbaugh Tea House
Denver Botanic Gardens
For centuries, the tea ceremony has been considered the epitome of Japanese life, based on harmony, respect, purity, tranquility and elegant simplicity. Come experience the real thing – a traditional ceremony inside our authentic Japanese Tea House in Shofu-En, the Japanese Garden. Please bring a pair of white socks, and jeans. Shorts or short skirts are not permitted.
Cost: $25 member, $30 non-member.
Instructor: Tokiyo Imanaka.

EVENTS

MEMBER ONLY MORNINGS
Friday, September 21, 7-9 a.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Gardens members gain access to the city’s oasis prior to the general public. Something special every time.

2012 CHIPOTLE SUSTAINABLE FILM SERIES

Truck Farm
Friday, September 5, 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.
 
Truck Farm, Directed by Ian Cheney & Curt Ellis, 48 min.
From Wicked and Delicate films and the streets of Brooklyn, a tiny new farm and a new short film about what happens when you teach an old Dodge new tricks.  Truck Farm tells the story of a new generation of quirky urban farmers. Viewers are trucked across New York to see the city’s funkiest urban farms, and to find out if America’s largest city can learn to feed itself. Blending serious exposition with serious silliness, Truck Farm entreats viewers to ponder the future of urban farming, and to consider whether sustainability needs a dose of whimsy to be truly sustainable.

Food tasting at 6, film begins at 6:30
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.

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

CORN MAZE
Every Fri., Sat. and Sun., Sept. 14 – 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.
 
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield is located at 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton, just south of C-470 on Wadsworth Blvd.

WEDDING SHOWCASE
Friday, Sept. 14, 5-8 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
More than 60 wedding professionals will be available in locations throughout the Gardens. From wedding planning and formalwear to food, wine and floral design, the Gardens’ Wedding Showcase offers solutions to all types of wedding needs. In addition, there are great prize giveaways. Last year’s awards included 3 wedding sites and more than 30 gifts and prizes! Guests can register online at www.botanicgardens.org.

FALL PLANT AND BULB SALE
Friday, Sept 21
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 22
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
You’ll find an incredible variety of more than 10,000 bulbs, Gardens-grown plants, pansies, and a hand-picked selection of trees and shrubs at the Gardens’ Fall Plant and Bulb Sale. Gardens horticulturists will be on-site to answer questions and offer expert gardening advice – come learn which plant is best for your fall and winter garden, and how to plant your spring bulbs!

HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY SERIES: LECTURE – DR. GLYNIS RIDLEY
Tuesday, Sept 25
7 – 8 p.m.
Gates Hall
Denver Botanic Gardens
Dr. Glynis Ridley, author of The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe, will discuss her new biography of Jeanne Baret, the first woman to travel around the world. Disguised as a man, Jeanne worked as assistant to botanist Philibert Commerson on the first expedition circumnavigating the globe with professional naturalists, astronomers and geographers on board. Join Dr. Ridley as she talks about this remarkable woman’s story and discusses her research in reconstructing what happened on the voyage.
Cost: $5 student, $8 member, $10 non-member

*Related Tour*
As a supplement to Dr. Glynis’ lecture, Senior Horticulturist Mike Kentgen will offer a guided walk through of the Gardens as he describes modern-day collecting expeditions in Patagonia.
Cost: $9 student, $12 member, $14 non-member

MINI CAMPS
Spend your day off from school at the Gardens exploring the amazing world of plants. We’ll fill each day with garden explorations, games, activities, projects and take-home gardens.

FAMILY FUN NIGHTS
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Denver Botanic Gardens
On the fourth Friday of each month, April to October, families 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.

Cost per night: $20 for a member family of four, $3 for each additional person. $25 for a non-member family of four, $4 for each additional person. Children two and under are free.

September Sky
Saturday, Sept. 1, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

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
Through First Frost
Denver Botanic Gardens
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.

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.

SEPTEMBER LECTURE
BARK: AN INTIMATE LOOK AT THE WORLD’S TREES
Cedric Pollet
Thursday, Sept. 27
7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Mitchell Hall
Using bark as your means, escape and observe the world of trees in an entirely new way – playfully and aesthetically. Starting with American barks including the colorful serpentine manzinita and the fascinating strangler fig, and traveling around the world to visit the sacred trees of the Maoris, the magical monkey puzzle trees of New Caledonia and the legendary baobab trees of South Africa, Pollet will take you on an amazing journey and open your eyes to a world that was undoubtedly previously unknown to you – the world of bark.

Pollet reminds us of not only the diversity and fragility of the wide world that we inhabit but also helps us to discover how to bring a fascinating new world to our very own gardens. Transform your home landscape by adding seasonal interest with uniquely “barked” trees and their associated plant friends.

Born in Nice, France, Cedric Pollet is a botanical photographer and landscape architect. He studied horticulture and landscape design at the University of Reading (UK) and the National Horticulture School in Angers (France). Starting in 1999, he started to observe trees from a new angle and began his original research on barks. In more than 30 countries around the world, he has tracked down the most fascinating barks, accumulating more than 20,000 tree images covering almost 500 different species. He is a lecturer and has produced 70 exhibitions all around the world. Pollet has published two books including his most recent, Bark: An Intimate Looks at the World’s Trees.

*Related Tour*
Trees in the Gardens
Thursday, September 27
5 p.m.
It is time to direct your gaze “up” and away from the ground-level gardens to admire our wonderful and unique trees. Do you know what a “champion tree” is? Join the tour to learn this and so much more!

*Related Workshop*
Intimate Elements: A Photographic Workshop with Scott Dressel-Martin
Friday, September 28
Learn to improve your images and refine your vision by exploring the creative, intellectual and technical aspects of creative photography with Denver Botanic Gardens Official Photographer, Scott Dressel-Martin. Join Scott on this autumn focused workshop to explore the world from the grand scale to the most intimate elements. With inspiration from the imagery of Cedric Pollet, Scott will bring his years of image making experience to the class to help deepen your vision and appreciation for the intimate elements of nature.

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 e-mail: gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org

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