Coming to Botanic Gardens – Diné Artist Melanie Yazzie

MELANIE YAZZIE: PEACE WALKINGJanuary 29 – May 29, 2023

 

Photos (left to right): Melanie Yazzie, Two Sisters, 2022, mixed media and acrylic. Melanie Yazzie, Growing Stronger, 2010, bronze.

Interdisciplinary artist Melanie Yazzie uses iconography of birds, dogs, corn, butterflies and female figures to tell a personal tale through her multi-layered prints, paintings and sculptures. Peace Walking is her interpretation and reflection on the Dine (Navajo) prayer “Walking in Beauty” that according to her, is about “putting good in the world. Seeds are planted, friendships are established connecting with the people who live outside and inside of your local community.” The exhibit, on view in the Freyer – Newman Center at the Gardens’ York Street location from January 29 to May 29, 2023, is included in general admission. 

Peace Walking features more than 40 artworks including monotype prints, monotype prints as well as aluminum and bronze sculptures. The paintings were created for this exhibition and the sculptures range in size from tabletop pieces to six feet high. 

Drawing on childhood memories and stories from her international travels , and her experiences as an emerging Dine (Navajo) artist, Yazzie invites viewers to use nature to connect with the narratives of their personal lives. The Dacono artist’s work, which is based in Colorado, is intended to convey wonder and peace while inviting viewers to engage more deeply with the intricate Indigenous experiences.

The Dine people (often called the Navajo) are a Native American tribe that has occupied the southwest United States for centuries. They are famous for their elaborate rituals and skillful artisanship and play a significant role in preserving traditional culture and language. Today the Dine continue flourish as a strong and proud people. 

Related Programs (calendar)

Printmaking Workshop led by Melanie Yazzie: Sat February. 4, 10 a.m. 4 p.m. 
Exhibitions Reception Fri, Feb. 24 from 5-8 p.m. 
Artist Talk Artist Talk: Thurs 9 March at 6 p.m. 
About the Artist 
Melanie Yazzie’s work draws on her personal experiences as an contemporary Dine woman. Yazzie has been exhibiting extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Her work is included in permanent collections of the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art (RISD) in Providence, RI; the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University, Athens, OH among others. Yazzie is currently professor of arts practices and the head of printmaking at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is represented by Glenn Green Galleries in Santa Fe, NM.