eco-conspiracies

CON: with
SPIRE: to Breathe

The idea of eco-conspiracies grows from the idea that we breathe together with plants. As the foundation of ecological webs, native and bioregional appropriate plants serve to restore habitats, especially through the tight urban spaces where most of us dwell. Opening space for contemplative practice, we invite visitors to slow down and breathe with surrounding plants in our spheres, practice creative acts of sci/art conservation, and share seeds and their stories with neighbors to pass regenerative acts forward.

Using Art to Bring Wildlife Conservation Closer to Home
Broadening perceptions of ‘home’ to include outdoors spheres around our lived-in structures, we encourage deepened relationships with non-human species who dwell with us in the urban corridors we call home, thinking of ways we may increase connectivity across Denver’s communities.

EXHIBITION
DATES: March 1 – April 30, 2026
An immersive installation sharing stories of creative restoration work by practitioners within the Creature Conserve community interspersed with local artists’ multi-disciplinary approaches of re-inhabiting conservation.

Saturday Morning Brew: A pair of winter workshops to deepen our relationships with the natural world.

Winter Seed Sowing Demonstration
Saturday, February 7, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Location: GALLERIES on DOWNING,
420 N. Downing St., Denver, CO 80218

Come learn about winter seed sowing techniques for native plants! Your hosts Lee Lee Leonard & Mele Avery will guide you through the steps of understanding what seeds require winter stratification and will demo a few techniques to achieve the best results. They will show you how to set up an outdoor nursery and guests will take home seeds immersed in moist sand for stratification. Milk jug sowing and water soaking milkweed seeds will also be demonstrated.

Register HERE

Nature Journaling Workshop
Saturday, February 21, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Location: GALLERIES on DOWNING,
420 N. Downing St., Denver, CO 80218

Presented by the Metro-Denver Chapter of the CO Native Plant Society & Lee Lee

Nature Journaling bridges art and science to deepen our understanding and connection with surrounding habitats. Join us for an introduction on how to develop a creative practice of observation to carry with you.

Benefits of Nature Journaling:

Boosts Mental Well-being: Acts as a stress reliever, helps process emotions like anxiety or grief, and promotes mindfulness and restorative time outdoors
Sharpens Observation Skills: Forces you to slow down and notice details you’d otherwise miss, improving attention and critical thinking.
Improves Memory & Learning: The act of drawing and writing significantly aids in remembering experiences and understanding concepts.
Fosters Creativity & Self-Expression: A non-judgmental space for art, poetry, and storytelling, helping to articulate thoughts and emotions.
Develops Scientific Skills: Encourages questioning, pattern recognition, and recording local ecological data, turning you into a citizen scientist.
Creates a Sense of Place: Builds a deep, personal connection to specific locations, fostering stewardship and belonging.

Register HERE

THANK YOU to the HABITAT Library for an engaging pop-up in 2025. A handful of works from Nature Heals are still on display in the GALLERIES to support the World Central Kitchen’s hunger relief in Gaza:

REVIEW: New Art Space Galleries on Downing Cultivates Community
Habitat Library has also found a temporary home in the space.
Come see it at an October 5 open house. By Kristen Fiore – WESTWORD

TAOS distillery

– Restorative Retreats – Community Workshops – Sci/Art Residencies –

Acequia
El Agua es la Vida – Water is Life

TAOS | New Mexico
The TAOS Distillery sits on Los Lovatos ditch, the oldest of 75 active Acequias in the Taos Valley. Today it is used as a platform that bridges art & science to engage discourse around water issues in arid steppe ecologies.

Tetouan | Morocco
Tracing origins of Acequias: the Rif
Residency at Green Olive Arts

Blanca | Spain
Investigations of Acequias installed in this valley by Andalusian settlers who arrived on the Iberian Peninsula in the 9th century. The ‘huerta’ was their last stronghold before being pushed back into Morocco.
Residency at AADK