The Gardens on Spring Creek is honored to host Peace Walking from May 3 through Aug. 17, 2025. This stunning exhibition from Denver Botanic Gardens features six large-scale sculptures by contemporary artist Melanie Yazzie, Diné (Navajo).
A meditation on “Walking in Beauty”—a Diné prayer about finding communion with one’s environment—Peace Walking celebrates the healing powers of nature and the strength of friendship between humans, animals, and plants. We can't wait to share this inspiring journey with you!
Artist Statement:
Yazzie explains, "The way I was brought up, we do prayers early in the morning to ask for good things to come, or to keep us in balance with the world. And being outdoors and walking in the beauty of the land is something that was always stressed when I was growing up. The prayer for me is [about] the walking, the actions of living in a good way. The prayer for me is just thinking the world into a good place and trying to hold that within myself. [It's] making the actions to put good into your life, into friends and family, into everything around you."
Members see it first! Join us on Friday, May 2, for member exclusive access to explore Peace Walking before the general public.
More information and registration link coming soon.
Below is an English translation of “Walking in Beauty," traditionally performed in the Diné language as part of the Blessingway ceremony. We invite you to reflect upon this prayer as you explore the exhibition.
Interdisciplinary artist Melanie Yazzie uses iconography of animals, plants, and people throughout her sculptures to tell a deeply personal story. Drawing on childhood memories, global travels, and her experiences as a contemporary Diné artist, Yazzie invites viewers to use nature to connect with the narratives of their own lives. The Colorado-based artist’s work conveys wonder and peace while encouraging viewers to engage with complex Indigenous experiences.
Based in Colorado, Yazzie is a Professor of Art Practices and Head of Printmaking at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her works are held in prestigious collections, including the Denver Art Museum, Anchorage Museum of History & Art, the Institute of American Indian Arts, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally in countries such as New Zealand, France, Russia, Canada, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Korea, China, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Renowned for her print exchange projects that foster global community connections, Yazzie’s artistic practice spans printmaking, sculpture, painting, surface design, and jewelry design. Since 1994, she has been represented by Glenn Green Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico.