Hi Kev.
In regard to enhancing a public bonsai exhibit:
I know you won't forget to display a few regionally-collected suiseki. Some folks will stop to say, "What's that?" Welsh landscape & rockeries-- especially the wind-blown coast-- captures nature's fury well. I'm attracted and have collected stones, ther
e. In Wales, I could imagine stones are collected with a "mine entrance," and I've seen an expensive Japanese suiseki with an apparent cave entrance dedicated to a mine accident-- complete with documentation. FWIW, I think that is rare. The suiseki was
offered at the extraordinary shop Kagedo in Seatttle.
IBC members visiting an exhibit at the North Carolina Arboretum noted that the most popular activity arising from the exhibit was selecting a "People's Favorite" chosen by visitors-- that could get mildly interested onlookers in paying more attention.
How about offering roundtrip airfare to the next Kokufuten in a raffle... ...JUST KIDDING.... A more modest gift, however, on tickets that include contact info' might give you a list of potential members. Ask on the raffle ticket to check-off if they
'd like notice of your next meeting & see if the browsers are truly interested before contacting those that are. Don't make the gift too generous or too generic; rather, choose something a person who would pursue bonsai might value. How about a generous
bag of your mixed bonsai soil & the offer of a session to transform a nusery plant. The bag of soil could be used for several plantings & recognized as valuable if equated to the sandwich bags of bonsai soil commonly available at retail outlets, but it s
hould not be too expensive for a soil mixer to prepare.
Focus on the beauty of bonsai rather than a pseudo-Asian setting. Potential enthusiasts with horticultural interest will be excited by a sparce, meticulously maintained exhibit that provides plain background for the bonsai. I agree with your focus on d
isplay of your best bonsai rather than squeezing every member's pet project into a public display. If you can express the season with your bonsai exhibit (including companion plants et al. but avoiding props unrelated to each bonsai scene), it will draw
the eye of potential members.
Express humility regarding club members' skill and encourage conversation. Reinforce to exhibit browsers that club members are collegial students of bonsai sharing their enthusiasm and resources to the benefit of other club members & to visitors of exhib
its. The biggest turn-off I've seen in a recent exhibit was its billing as "arguably the best annual bonsai exhibit in the United States." The exhibit had great bonsai, but the display scenes were often poorly executed. It was painful to read further, "
this exhibit consistently sets and raises the national standard for quality bonsai display." Whether they assess correctly or not, some visitors will not see every bonsai as a masterpiece nor every display a well composed scene. Your humility will encour
age even the most jaded visitor to empathize with the club's effort.
Best wishes,
Chris... C. Cochrane,
, Richmond VA USA
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