I.B.

Hi John,

Glad you could join us in early September for the Shohin Bonsai Symposium in Rochester, New York, and I hope you enjoyed the event. Your bonsai was well received and added to the event.

I'm not too sure where you got the information you talked about for our exhibit. First, there were no club displays, only invited artists. Second, the bonsai were not judged. BCI and the Rosade Bonsai Studio each presented an award to their selection of a quality bonsai or display. Suthin was not in Rochester one month before the symposium. In fact, I think it's been about one year since he was in this area.

As far as purchasing bonsai and displaying them as your own goes, I'm not too sure what the policy or purpose of display of the Carolina Bonsai Expo is. I "think" the displays are by invited clubs to show what bonsai each club has.

My policy and purpose of bonsai displayed at my 27 annual symposia is to feature the bonsai, NOT the artists. There is nothing wrong with having an artists show, but that's was not, nor is, my intention. Only to dispaly beautiful bonsai. So the origin of the individual bonsai is not of importance to me because we are not highlighting their creators.

Yes, I'm sponsoring the National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York next October 11-12, 2008. I have already discussed this with Arthur Joura. It's too bad they might be both on the same weekend, but with weather and other numerous bonsai activities around the country it's difficult not to conflict sometimes. This certainly was not my intention.

In the National Bonsai Exhibition we will be exhibiting the beauty of bonsai, regardless of who created them, or where they came from. Simply the beauty of high quality bonsai, some of the best in the United States. More information on this historic event will be released soon.

Bill

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William N. Valavanis