Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Modern travel is not for the faint of heart, and the ongoing construction at Denver International Airport ratchets up the challenges with a shifting maze of temporary walls in the main terminal.
But I know of a special place here that provides a little respite from this craziness — and it’s free.
First, a slight digression: Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver is a wild assemblage of storytelling, colors, lights, and sounds about fictional alien worlds. In recognition of the possibility that some visitors might feel overstimulated in this immersive art space, the designers built in quieter spots. In these rooms, you can sit in a creative space with minimal stimuli to take a break before continuing your journey through Eemia, Ossuary, and Numina.
Much like at Meow Wolf, when I’m at the airport I opt for a de-stimulation zone between my various hectic travel points that might include a busy and noisy restaurant, a long wait in line, or competing overhead announcements.
From left: Pawnee tribe members Stopped with Horse, Humane Chief, As a Dog, Good Chief and Difficult Chief, part of Denver International Airport’s “Spirit of the People: A Native American Exhibition,” by various artists and curated by the Western American Indian Chamber. (Provided by DIA)
When the airport was being built in the 1990s a decision was made to honor Native Americans by including exhibits in the form of photos, paintings and sound composition.
“The musical series includes Native American chanting, drumming and flute playing in both traditional and contemporary styles,” explained the airport’s public art program manager. “The music was originally performed at the opening of the airport as a healing song to appease Native American spirits as DEN was built on indigenous lands. In honor of this, the musical performance has played continuously … since our opening.”
The 43-minute-long sound composition was created by Red Tail Chasing Hawks, a duo made up of Calvin Standing Bear and James Torres, Weston said. “The music composition is part of a larger series called ‘Spirit of the People: A Native American Exhibition,’ which was commissioned during the airport’s construction and premiered with the opening of the airport in 1995.”
A group called the Western American Indian Chamber (WAIC) curated the exhibit, Weston said. It includes members of 11 indigenous tribes: Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Navajo, Pawnee, Shoshone, Lakota, Ute and Puebloans. Today the music can be heard by travelers who walk on the sky bridge between security and Concourse A
Lone Bear, from the Arapaho tribe, part of Denver International Airport’s “Spirit of the People: A Native American Exhibition,” by various artists and curated by the Western American Indian Chamber. (Provided by DIA)
This summer, I was returning home from my third trip in a month feeling pretty worn out. I happened to be on an airline that uses Concourse A so I skipped the train and headed for the bridge to get to the main terminal and then baggage claim. As soon as I reached the sky bridge and heard that familiar chanting and drumming, I knew I was home and relaxed a little, even smiling to myself as if a friend had already greeted me. The bridge has floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides so it also helps to get that big sky feeling and view in this moment too.
For some travelers, a private club or airport lounge with cocktails is a welcome break from the chaos of construction, security lines, and trains and planes, but all I need is that chanting music to feel like I’m home in Denver.
Mindy Sink is a Colorado-based freelance writer specializing in travel and outdoors.