Local Ikebana Chapter Hosts Modified Annual Exhibition

An ikebana display titled “Resilience” by the Sogetsu school

Ikebana International Washington, D.C. Chapter No. 1 held its first outdoor exhibit at the U.S. National Arboretum this spring. 

Ikebana, or the Japanese art of flower arrangement, has been a complementary art to bonsai for decades. Chapter One has held an indoor exhibit at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum for more than 20 years, but this year’s exhibition needed a different venue due to the Museum’s temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While hundreds of schools dedicated to the art of ikebana exist, seven schools are represented in Chapter One. The group’s president and this year’s exhibition chair – Ursula Kondo and Jean Rieg, respectively – spoke with the National Bonsai Foundation.

A relative of her husband’s coworker first introduced Kondo to ikebana. While she has always loved flowers, Kondo was drawn to the asymmetrical design of Japanese arrangements, which are similar to the floral styles in her home country of Germany. Kondo originally joined the local Houston chapter of Ikebana International before moving and enlisting in the Washington, D.C. chapter. 

Rieg’s artistic roots are in teaching scrapbooking and cake decorating. She often took many trips to gardens around the United States and abroad due to her mother’s love of flowers. A friend introduced her to ikebana as another creative outlet, and Rieg started studying with Bruce Wilson, the lead of Chapter One’s Saga Goryu ikebana school. She also attended classes for three years at Saga Goryu Headquarters in Japan and will continue those trips once the pandemic ends

About one year after beginning classes, Rieg became the host coordinator of the annual exhibition, which led to her appointment as chair this past year. 

“Ikebana has become an important part of my life, and I find it an incredible artform,” she said. “A lot of people find great joy in seeing arrangements and understanding which schools they are derived from.” 

Rieg added that each group produced incredible pieces, especially considering that only one of the six schools that participated this year had ever worked on outdoor arrangements. 

Sogetsu team co-leader Marjorie Bauman (left) and member Catherine Macauley (right) work on an arrangement.

This year’s exhibition was both virtual and physical – two groups of 30 arrangements can be seen online, and 13 arrangements were available for viewing at the U.S. National Arboretum but are now online as well.

“We make sure to have arrangements from every school in our chapter so people can see the difference between the arrangements and styles,” Rieg said. 

The artists received basic directions on display details, like permitted dimensions, but the concept of each piece was largely left to individual inspiration. Most of the teams crafted arrangements to celebrate the anticipated end to the COVID-19 pandemic, titling their pieces with terms like “awakening” or “reawakening.”

Rieg said planning for this hybrid exhibition began in the fall of 2020. She saw a video exhibition that an ikebana chapter in San Francisco produced and thought a variation on that idea would work well for Chapter One. Rieg tested the concept with the chapter in a December Area Workshop with holiday arrangements. Teachers approved the students’ arrangements.

“We were worried how the public would react to the outdoor arrangements, but the exhibit was very well received, everyone was in awe of the arrangements,” Kondo said. 

“Breaking Out of the Pandemic” – Sangetsu school “Reawakened” – Ichiyo school

For the outdoor arrangements, the creators had to consider elements present in the natural environment when designing their prototypes and choosing their materials. Each display featured a QR code that viewers could scan with their phones to learn more about the ikebana schools, the materials used in the arrangements and general information on the art form.

“The Ichiyo school used a lot of bamboo stakes for their arrangement,” Kondo said. “The creators made notches in the bamboo and wired them together so it didn’t fall apart in the wind.”

While the design process took a couple of months, each exhibit was completely assembled on the Arboretum grounds in just one day. Rieg said the teachers conceived the original designs, but both students and teachers executed the projects. Each team comprised three-to-five students and could work in a designated 8-foot by 5-foot area.  

“We tried to position the arrangements so each could have its day in the light, and it was worth it because the whole exhibition was so well-received by visitors,” Kondo said. “Everyone was impressed with the exhibition and delighted with the opportunity to view it at the Arboretum.”

Rieg said Chapter One wanted the exhibition to demonstrate the period of transition the world is in as it slowly emerges from lockdowns and restrictions instated for safety during the pandemic. 

“We wanted it to be a reawakening and spark interest in viewers,” she said. “Every good effort has a good outcome. We succeeded because of the artistry and skill within the chapter and the great support we got from the Arboretum, so everything worked out very well.”

You can learn more about Ikebana International Chapter One on their website and follow them on Facebook.

The Ikenobo team (L to R: Valeria Shishkin, Reiko Royston & Team Lead Kyoko Peterson) next to their arrangement “Manifestation of Life and Beauty”

Arboretum Profiles: Scott Aker, Head of Horticulture and Education

Scott Aker, Head of Horticulture and Education

Some people don’t figure out their true passion in life for decades. But Scott Aker was hooked on horticulture from childhood after witnessing how a few iris plants his mother planted grew from dried-up rhizomes into blooming, show-stopping flowers in the spring. 

Aker grew up surrounded by nature in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and experiences like the irises’ transformation led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in horticulture at the University of Minnesota and a master’s from the University of Maryland. Now the Head of Horticulture and Education at the U.S. National Arboretum, Aker works closely with National Bonsai Foundation and National Bonsai & Penjing Museum staff. 

“I’m one of those rare instances where I just always knew what I wanted to do – there was never much doubt really, so I’ve been fortunate to have that clarity,” he said.

Aker has always liked working outside, rather than in a lab or unpredictable academic spheres. After graduation, Aker pieced together a living by gardening for high-end clients, which he also did throughout college. Eventually he took a position as a horticultural extension agent for Howard County, Maryland, but the tumultuous economy of the early 90s put his job in jeopardy. 

A friend sent him a job announcement for an integrated pest management specialist at the National Arboretum. With previous training in this area, Aker applied for the job and was hired in 1992. His main task was to inspect the Arboretum’s gardens and collections, including the bonsai, for pests and diseases.  

“I loved the job because I could really roam throughout the Arboretum, and every day and season was a bit different from the last,” he said. 

Over the years, Aker reduced pesticide use at the Arboretum by 75 percent and conducted successful symposiums on integrated pest management and found he enjoyed teaching. When the gardens unit leader left in the early 2000s, he took over the job temporarily and was officially instated two years later. 

Scott Aker and National Capital Area Garden Clubs liaison Ellen Spencer celebrating the renovation of the back portion of the Friendship Garden and Arbor House hardscape, funded by National Capital Area Garden Clubs.  

Day to day, Aker takes care of bureaucratic duties like approving purchases, budgeting, property inventory, and planning and implementing Arboretum directives. He said the most fun part of the job is helping staff members with what they need to perform their jobs well. 

“I have a lot of conversations with them about what their obstacles are, how can I clear them, their ideas for where we should go and, when I can, interject my vision for what we can do and how we can manage things,” he said. “I aim to create a system where people can work efficiently and more productively while enjoying their work.”

Aker most enjoys looking critically at a collection or garden with staff members, discussing which methods and processes could best improve an area for visitors to enjoy that space more. He now also supervises the bonsai staff and collections and is always excited when a bonsai is nominated for inclusion in the national collection. Aker said working with the bonsai staff is one of his greatest pleasures.

“They are absolutely wonderful people, and I can’t be grateful enough for how hard they work,” he said. “It’s amazing to me what they produce and the beauty and tireless hours they spend doing some very tedious tasks. They’re cheerful and joyful about the whole thing so it’s great working with them.”

Aker also interacts with NBF leadership to plan fundraising, events and publicity efforts, and he often attends the NBF Board of Directors meetings. 

Aker raises the planting level of a hiba falsearborvitae to prevent fungal infection of the roots as an Integrated Pest Management Specialist in the mid-1990s.

“It’s always fun to talk to others in the community,” he said. “The board members are so important to keep the Museum and national collection going because they're so enthusiastic and so love what we have created there. They give us so much energy and so much positive affirmation.” 

Aker doesn’t have any plans to leave yet – he’s too excited about the potential still present at the Museum and Arboretum, like the upcoming renovations. 

“I’d hate to miss out on being a part of that, and I have much to contribute because, with my 30 years of experience here, I’ve really learned a lot,” he said. 

In his free time, Aker continues pursuing his passion by gardening at home and working with plants. His current project involves converting his front yard to be a fruit and vegetable garden. He also owns a shohin bonsai and arranges flowers for weddings and other special occasions.

WELCOME BACK: The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is OPEN!

Pitch pine donated by Muriel Leeds

Got plans for this week? We suggest visiting the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum!!

The National Bonsai Foundation is ecstatic to announce that the Museum is open again as of June 1, 2021! After closing last March to maintain staff and visitor safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are so happy to invite visitors back to enjoy the national collection’s breathtaking bonsai and penjing.

"Patience is a major component of training bonsai and penjing, but it comes with big rewards,” NBF Board of Directors Chair Jim Hughes said. “Thank you for your patience during the closure of the U.S. National Arboretum’s National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. You will be amply rewarded when you return for a visit."

The Museum will resume its normal daily operating hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All outdoor portions of the Museum will be open to the public, but please note that the indoor Tropical Conservatory and Exhibits Gallery will remain closed for now.

Not to worry – the tropical bonsai have been moved outside with the rest of the trees to enjoy the summer climate. We ask those who have not been vaccinated yet to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance from others while admiring the trees.

Please donate today to help support the museum's reopening efforts.

A Satsuki azalea ‘Nikko’ donated by Masayuki Nakamura (Left) Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii donated by Kenichi Oguchi (Right)

During the Museum’s temporary closure, these treasured bonsai and penjing continued to grow, bloom, put on a colorful fall show, and enter dormancy in winter, Hughes said. 

"The living sculpture of bonsai and penjing at the U.S. National Arboretum is never static,” he said. “Come back and see how they have flourished in the past year.”

NBF thanks Museum staff for keeping a close eye on the trees while visitors were absent and would like to welcome back the incredible volunteers who skillfully care for the trees and bring warmth and camaraderie to the Museum.  

Ross Campbell, an NBF officer and board member, had just begun volunteering at the Museum a few months before the closure but is eager to get back to caring for and admiring the trees. 

“One of the difficulties of the past year has been the disappointment of not being around, and learning from, the Museum staff and the trees themselves,” he said. “I am thrilled that I can now spend time again at the Museum and grateful the public can too.”

Arboretum Director Dr. Richard Olsen said the year of closure afforded a rare opportunity for the bonsai to grow with vigor and abandon. Olsen added that Museum and Arboretum staff and recently returned volunteers have been busy training, clipping, thinning and repotting in preparation for the trees’ return to center stage. 

“We look forward to your return and reconnecting with these living treasures,” he said.

Museum Curator Michael James said visitors can expect to see a few minor changes throughout the Museum. A few trees have been removed from the cryptomeria walk visitors experience when entering the Museum, which will allow more light into the area and help the remaining trees to flourish. Trees were also taken out of the Kato Family Stroll Garden, which leads to the Japanese Pavilion, to ensure the garden stays in scale as a miniature forest. 

Newly carved deadwood on the Ponderosa pine

Staff have been letting many bonsai grow out, then have aggressively pruned them back to keep them healthy.

“When we see the trees everyday, sometimes those little changes are almost unnoticeable, but when you leave for a long time and come back to them it looks like some trees have changed a lot,” James said.

On the buttonwood donated by the CIA, staff have changed the trunk’s position and are preparing to rewire the tree to adjust its canopy shape. James anticipates the bonsai will be ready for display by the end of the summer. A black hill spruce with twin trunks will also be on display for the first time in the upper courtyard this summer.

“Right now we’re just like busy bees getting everything ready, so we’re a little anxious and a little excited to have people back,” he said. “The national collection is too beautiful to not be seen and enjoyed.”

Please donate today to help support the museum's reopening efforts.