Her Secret Is Patience, Public sculpture in Downtown Phoenix, United States.

Her Secret Is Patience is a net sculpture by Janet Echelman in Civic Space Park, downtown Phoenix, across from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Painted galvanized steel poles 102, 125 and 145 ft tall carry concentric suspension rings 100 ft above the ground, bound with 1 in. steel cable. The polyester twine netting hangs 38 ft off the ground, its layered meshes shaped like Arizona's cumulus clouds and moved by the wind.

Her Secret Is Patience was commissioned by the city of Phoenix from artist Janet Echelman and completed in 2009, costing $2.5 million. It was built during the Great Recession, and critics questioned the expense and the awarding of the commission to an out-of-state artist, with most fabrication and engineering done by out-of-state firms. The netting was first repaired in December 2014 and must be replaced roughly every five years.

The title references Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy about patience in nature and human life. Colored lights shift through the seasons, creating a visual display that visitors can watch as the year progresses.

The sculpture hangs above Civic Space Park, opposite the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, in downtown Phoenix. The netting starts 38 ft above the ground, so the view is from below; walk the park to see the shape change. The colored lights come on at night and shift with the seasons, cool hues in summer and warm in winter.

The entire net requires replacement every five years due to sun and desert heat degrading the polyester material. This planned renewal cycle reflects the artist's concept that patience itself is an ongoing practice rather than a single achievement.