bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Exhibits Instead Of "Shows" (New Years Wishes III)

Exhibit.. Show...Whats the difference? Just semantics.

I feel that the USA, even as spread out as it is, has many fine exhibits of bonsai. Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Chicago, Washington DC, Two fine exhibits of bonsai in Cal. (GSBF collection North and South), the Pacific Rim Collection, etc.

These are all permanent collections that are well taken care of, watered and pruned by knowledgeable people. These plants have been donated by bonsai artists from all over the USA and some fine examples of work donated by masters of other countries are represented also.

To organize an exhibit for a weekend, and not have vendors and demo artists and all the things that go with traveling over 500 miles to see would not be worth most peoples time.

Also the art type galleries want works for extended periods of time, which makes docenting, watering and careing for plants a little time consuming for working folks. A weekend would be fine, but most art galleries have displays that are sought out years in advance, booked and remain there for extended periods of time.

At one point here in Fresno, the club group was asked to put some plants in the Fresno Art Museum during a Japanese touring art festival. The trees had to remain at the museum for a month and the trees ultimately had to be rotated in and out during the time since the whole "exhibit" was inside a dark and dimmly lit building. Not very suitable for showing bonsai.

As for me, Andy, You are preaching to the choir again. I would love to see a giant USA bonsai exhibit. I would love to see it professionally photographed and bound in book form for all the world to see. I would love to see all this and much more. I have no reason to poo poo your idea. I have said the exact same things here many times and have brought up the necessity for a better organized way bonsai is done in America.

You and I are on the same page here. You and I want the same thing. You and I can't do it or we already would have. No use getting angry over it theres nothing we can do about it...yet...

I think right now the conventions we do and the small organized venues that get some attention are good for bonsai. I think the internet may get bonsai under the noses of the right people sooner or later. Bonsai on the internet is barely 6 years old.

You had brought up the fact, in another thread, about the job GSBF does here in Calif. They do a bang up job. But.. Cal. is bonsai rich. We have many professionally trained teachers, certified masters, and kick ass nurseries with inexpensive stock, and a long growing season. A full range of growing zones that gives growers every opportunity to take advantage of the growing season. I think every major city in California has a bonsai club, with many cities having more than one. At last count over 46 clubs within the state. Thats more than ten states combined in some cases. We should have in place a good governing body!

The East coast has some great things to offer as well. But... there are a lot of states in between that have never even heard of bonsai, much less know the difference between an exhibit and a show.

Yet... I can't tell you what GSBF really does for me, but I can tell you what Fresno just did for them $$$. You want more beuracratic bonsai heirarchys to take over the reins of bonsai and do better exhibits...Hah!
Exhibits will have to come from the private sector. It will have to come from probably one individual that has the time and money to devote to it. More people in the pot spells 'EGO' and the thing will be destined to fail. One person has to call all the shots.

Hey organize it here in the states and call it the Gingko Awards, ..oh wait a minute..thats already been used.

Al Keppler

5-Jan-2004	#14
bonsaial1 Bonsai Doer Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Fresno, CA Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 13SH Posts: 5,474	Exhibit.. Show...Whats the difference? Just semantics. I feel that the USA, even as spread out as it is, has many fine exhibits of bonsai. Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Chicago, Washington DC, Two fine exhibits of bonsai in Cal. (GSBF collection North and South), the Pacific Rim Collection, etc. These are all permanent collections that are well taken care of, watered and pruned by knowledgeable people. These plants have been donated by bonsai artists from all over the USA and some fine examples of work donated by masters of other countries are represented also. To organize an exhibit for a weekend, and not have vendors and demo artists and all the things that go with traveling over 500 miles to see would not be worth most peoples time. Also the art type galleries want works for extended periods of time, which makes docenting, watering and careing for plants a little time consuming for working folks. A weekend would be fine, but most art galleries have displays that are sought out years in advance, booked and remain there for extended periods of time. At one point here in Fresno, the club group was asked to put some plants in the Fresno Art Museum during a Japanese touring art festival. The trees had to remain at the museum for a month and the trees ultimately had to be rotated in and out during the time since the whole "exhibit" was inside a dark and dimmly lit building. Not very suitable for showing bonsai. As for me, Andy, You are preaching to the choir again. I would love to see a giant USA bonsai exhibit. I would love to see it professionally photographed and bound in book form for all the world to see. I would love to see all this and much more. I have no reason to poo poo your idea. I have said the exact same things here many times and have brought up the necessity for a better organized way bonsai is done in America. You and I are on the same page here. You and I want the same thing. You and I can't do it or we already would have. No use getting angry over it theres nothing we can do about it...yet... I think right now the conventions we do and the small organized venues that get some attention are good for bonsai. I think the internet may get bonsai under the noses of the right people sooner or later. Bonsai on the internet is barely 6 years old. You had brought up the fact, in another thread, about the job GSBF does here in Calif. They do a bang up job. But.. Cal. is bonsai rich. We have many professionally trained teachers, certified masters, and kick ass nurseries with inexpensive stock, and a long growing season. A full range of growing zones that gives growers every opportunity to take advantage of the growing season. I think every major city in California has a bonsai club, with many cities having more than one. At last count over 46 clubs within the state. Thats more than ten states combined in some cases. We should have in place a good governing body! The East coast has some great things to offer as well. But... there are a lot of states in between that have never even heard of bonsai, much less know the difference between an exhibit and a show. Yet... I can't tell you what GSBF really does for me, but I can tell you what Fresno just did for them $$$. You want more beuracratic bonsai heirarchys to take over the reins of bonsai and do better exhibits...Hah! Exhibits will have to come from the private sector. It will have to come from probably one individual that has the time and money to devote to it. More people in the pot spells 'EGO' and the thing will be destined to fail. One person has to call all the shots. Hey organize it here in the states and call it the Gingko Awards, ..oh wait a minute..thats already been used. Al Keppler __________________ I been kidding the last seven years. no.... really!