Andy,

I expounded on this in your other editorial. As much as you'd like to see things driven to the next level it is highly unlikely that you'll attract the interest you seek. Why?

Art politics and money.

You'll be hard pressed to get consideration from a commercial gallery or museum. If you do, chances are you'll be relegated to the lobby or some dim corner. You have a better chance at getting a token display, i.e., a single tokonoma, especially if it is linkable to something else, i.e., an exhibition, a festival, etc.

Galleries are about making money. Are we selling our trees that are displayed? You'll be giving the gallery 30% commission (but more likely 50. Typically the work that does not sell hangs far longer than the opening night. You're asking a gallery to invest in a very short term and, from their perspective, risky undertaking.

"It will attract traffic for your other pieces!" does not hold much water- you've just relegated us back to the lobby as an oddity.

While I find this a noble undertaking I think it is impossible under the current "art infrastructure". We'll have to think out of the box.

However, if you are able to line up one of those high society Dallas galleries let me know, I'd love to participate.

Jim Stone
TX

Al, et al,

I find your discomfort with positive thinking disturbing. The last time we here in Dallas approached the Dallas Museum of Art about having a fine arts display of bonsai there, their first question was, "How much do you want to be paid?" Yes, they were going to pay us for the exhibit. Further, the museum was going to publicise the even within their community (in addition to the forms of advertising that we were going to use - you have to advertise). Of course, due to disagreements among the organizing staff, the thing never came off, but this was a hastily planned, unfunded effort. A serious effort would be a no-brainer.

Your irrelevant obervations about how other non-publicised, non-community driven "exhibits" have flopped is no refutation. You, like most of the bonsai leadership in the U.S. are blinded by inability, fearful of success and unwilling to take chances. This is nothing new.

By the way, just who are you trying to convince and why?

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
www.andyrutledge.com/
zone 8, Texas

Andy:

(I am not am et.al.> ) Next you have a good point about US artists(?) and risk and fear. If a musium will pay for the display, go for it. If not find a patron of bonsai to fund it at a local gallery.

Great idea. I would love to submit an offering to show. But as I stated in the other postings here it is ego's that will stand in the way and nay sayer to the entire concept (your fear driven lot). And no one has the nerve to step up and do it.

Oh did I over step on this one.

I know that due to the size of this country and the geographic differences a national exhibit would be hard to impossible to hold. Since we are in different climates winter to tropical and our trees peak at different times, regional shows would be by far be better.

Richard

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