Meetings And News 2009-2010
The Bonsai Society of Greater New Haven meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 PM. The regular meetings are held at the Edgerton Park Carriage House, 145 Edgehill Road, New Haven, CT. from September-November and January-June. The July / August meeting is a members' picnic and auction, and the December meeting is a members' holiday party. Occasionally, additional meetings are held to accommodate special guests and demonstrators. All regular meetings are free and open to the public.
SEPTEMBER 15: JIM BARRETT-CRITIQUES OF MEMBERS' TREES
At this meeting Mr. Barrett will be offering helpful suggestions on the design and care of their trees to members who would like to benefit from his years of experience with bonsai.
Jim Barrett has been a lecturer/demonstrator at our Society's meetings for many, many times. Mr. Barrett has been involved with bonsai for more than forty-five years. He became fascinated with bonsai when he was a young fireman in the Alhambra Fire Department and witnessed the work being done by an elderly, Japanese gentleman at a nursery in the San Gabriel Valley. He avidly read all the material--scare at that time--he could find on bonsai, trying to learn as much as he could. In 1958 a bonsai nursery opened in Temple City, and he began helping out there, building his knowledge of bonsai and eventually teaching a class using Yuji Yoshimura’s book as his text.
Mr. Barrett is one of the founders of the Santa Anita Bonsai Society, which began in 1964, and was the club’s first president, an office he filled again for two terms in the 1970s and 1980s. He is also one of the founders of The Golden State Bonsai Federation and was elected its first president at the initial convention in November 1977. In addition, from 1976-1978 he was president of Bonsai Clubs International. Mr. Barrett is still with the Santa Anita group and also participates in the California Bonsai Society, Descano Bonsai Society, Shohin Bonsai Society, Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai, San Diego Bonsai Society, and California Aiseki Kai.
Not only is Mr. Barrett well-known as a bonsai teacher, he is equally recognized as a pot maker. He began making pots in 1975 when he couldn't find a ceramist who could make the pots he wanted for his trees. His pots are now collector’s pieces, and he won first prize in the modern division in the first ever North American Juried Bonsai Pot Competition sponsored by The National Bonsai Foundation and Penjing Museum in Washington, D.C.
SEPTEMBER 16: WORKSHOP WITH JIM BARRETT
On Wednesday evening Mr. Barrett will conduct a workshop for members of the club.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2009: SUNDAY IN THE PARK
On September 20th the Edgerton Park Conservancy will hold its annual festival at Edgerton Park in New Haven. There are a variety of activities for people of all ages. Our club will have a couple of tables set up so if you've ever been tempted to give bonsai a try but weren't sure it was for you, stop by the tables and talk to our members. They'll be glad to answer questions and share their experiences with this enticing art form.
OCTOBER 13, 2009: MEMBERS' 75-25 AUCTION
This is the meeting many of members look forward to. It's a chance to share their special creations, pots, rocks, and other bonsai materials with their fellow members in a way that benefits both the member and the Society. And it gives everyone a chance to acquire some wonderful plants and accessories at prices that are often too good to be true. It's a particularly opportune time for beginners to start or enhance their collections for a modest investment. At this auction seventy-five percent of the sale price of an item goes to the person who donates it and twenty-five percent goes to the club.
NOVEMBER 10, 2009: KATHI MAISANO-JUST WHAT ARE ORIENTAL VIEWING STONES
Kathi Maisano is a retired arts and crafts teacher and a multi-talented lady. In addition to creating beautiful bonsai and saikei, Kathi is an accomplished wood-worker and makes "daiza", stands for viewing stones. She also makes jewelry. Kathi has been a member of our club for more than ten years and has served as Vice-President and Corresponding Secretary. Kathi and her husband, Frank, now divide their time between Connecticut and Florida, where Kathi is a member of both the Ichiban Bonsai Kai club in Punta Gorda and Kawa Bonsai of Palm Coast.
Kathi became interested in viewing stones after seeing photographs of them in bonsai magazines, and she became determined to acquire one. Since her husband, a retired shop teacher, had a basement full of tools, it just seemed natural to take up the hobby of daiza carving. In 1998 she created her first daiza for a stone she had carved and polished. Many daizas later she's learned there is a lot more to viewing stones and their stands than she first thought. You can see examples of Kathi's work at her web site, The Daiza Diva, with some of the lovely viewing stones that rest on the stands.
DECEMBER 8, 2009: MEMBERS' HOLIDAY PARTY
This is a potluck affair for members of the club.
JANUARY 12, 2009: TO BE ANNOUNCED
FEBRUARY 9, 2010: TO BE ANNOUNCED
MARCH 9, 2010: TO BE ANNOUNCED
APRIL 13, 2010: TO BE ANNOUNCED
MAY 11, 2010: TO BE ANNOUNCED
JUNE 8, 2010: TO BE ANNOUNCED
JUNE 2010: MEMBERS' ANNUAL EXHIBITION
This event is held in the Carriage House at Edgerton Park in New Haven. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and is an opportunity for members of the club to display their bonsai. Generally, several vendors are present to sell bonsai and bonsai accessories, and the club provides potting services for a nominal fee for newly acquired or already owned trees. It's a wonderful opportunity to come and enjoy the beauty of bonsai.
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All Rights Reserved. Last revised November 2009.