Stan Hywet Exhibit

What a terrific opportunity for the ACBS to exhibit our trees in this lush, colorful and well-lit setting--the conservatory of Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron, Ohio. Stan Hywet Hall is as well-known for its Japanese and other gardens as it is for the mansion.

The week and a half long exhibit from August 4th through August 12th, 2012, entitled "The Art of Bonsai," was comprised of trees from nearly 20 ACBS members.  The gardens were hosting multiple events there throughout the week, including tours, a butterfly exhibit, weddings, and outdoor plays.  All of this meant a steady stream of visitors and great  exposure for our club--and for bonsai.  In addition, Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Roxanne Washington did a feature article on the exhibit in the garden section just prior to the event -- our own Gib and Matt were quoted on the history and object of bonsai.

Dan's juniper--it just gets better every year.

An ACBS show is always an exciting event.  It is enlightening to watch how from year to year members' trees are developing, and some are on the way to becoming genuine specimen bonsai. All you have to do is look back at our gallery pictures from past shows and you can see what has been accomplished. From season to season, they improve.  I have now gotten to the point that I simply love certain trees belonging to other members of the club, and I look for them right away.  It's like "Where's your big juniper, I've been looking forward to seeing it," or "Yeah, it's Dan's tree, but it's kind of mine too--because I like it so much." We sort of feel possessive toward our favorite member trees the way we do with old rock songs from back in high school-- you know, "That's my song," only instead it's "That's my tree."

I also liked seeing what members have done with their trees this year, and maybe I can learn something else from the way they've been styled or how the foliage has been pinched back.  In this sense, we learn the art together. And at the risk of sounding goofy, as a club and as individuals, our skills keep growing with our trees. More photos of the trees and the exhibit, as well as past shows, can be seen on our gallery spot.

At any rate, this has been an exciting event for our club, and we hope that the Stan Hywet exhibit brought the northeastern Ohio gardening community a chance to experience and appreciate the art of bonsai--especially our trees that looked so magnificent now in the height of summer.