Dave,
This was received from Arthur Joura on 9/23:
Greetings to All,
In an earlier message I indicated there would be some significant changes to this year's Expo schedule, and it's time for you to hear about that. Since the very first Carolina Bonsai Expo in 1996, Sunday morning has been the time slot used for the guest artist's critique of the exhibits. A few years later we originated having the guest artist's lecture and demonstration program, billed as the Main Event, take place on Saturday night after show hours were over, and it has remained so ever since. Both of these programs will take place at a different time this year.
The Main Event program, Walter Pall's lecture and demonstration, will happen on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00. It will take place in the same classroom space that we've been using for many years now, and it will still require registration and the payment of a fee to attend. The fee - $20 for Arboretum members and $23 for non-members - is more expensive this year due to the added expense of bringing in one of the top names in bonsai, who is coming to us from Europe. The running time of the program - 4 hours - is longer than any in the past and will coincide with normal operating hours of the show, but we will have a system in place to allow registered attendees to come and go as they wish throughout the duration. Full information about the program is at the bottom of this message.
Walter Pall's critique of the bonsai on exhibit will take place on Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:30. This valuable educational program will still be exclusively for the members of participating clubs and will still be free. The free critique program has always been and will remain an expression of gratitude to the participating clubs for all the effort and expense incurred in providing displays for the show. With the exhibit now opening to the public at 9:00 AM on Sunday, having this program after hours will alleviate some of the awkwardness of negotiating so many people in the space while trying to keep the general public out of the way.
Registration by phone for the Main Event program is now open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM ((828) 665-2492, ask for Peggy Eavenson). On-line registration on the Arboretum's web site (
www.ncarboretum.org) will hopefully be in place for this weekend. REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Seating is limited, and while Main Event programs have not always sold out in the past, some have, and the attraction of this year's guest artist, combined with the new time slot may result in it doing so this year. Please reserve your seat and avoid being disappointed.
There is no need to register for the Saturday night critique program.
Club contacts, please distribute this important information among your membership at your earliest convenience.
The Expo begins 2 weeks from today! Hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am.
Arthur
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Arthur Joura, Bonsai Curator
The North Carolina Arboretum
828.665.2492 x261 fax 828.665.5409
www.ncarboretum.org
2011 CAROLINA BONSAI EXPO MAIN EVENT
“Naturalistic Bonsai Style”
Saturday, October 8, 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Internationally recognized bonsai authority and 2011 Carolina Bonsai Expo guest artist Walter Pall conducts a lesson in Naturalistic Bonsai design.
In a discussion thread on a well-known bonsai web site some time back, the topic turned to the idea of alternatives to the traditional, Japanese-identified style of bonsai. After some talk about American bonsai, and European bonsai, and naturalistic bonsai, one respondent had an angry reaction. “Ridiculous!” he wrote. “To me bonsai is bonsai. Other than to give benevolent justification for incompetence, there is no room for regional subdivisions. Nor is there room for ‘naturalistic’ bonsai. The very practice of bonsai is not natural. As soon as you lay scissor to twig nature has come to an end. A claim to be creating naturalistic bonsai is nothing more than a sales gimmick, as has been publicly acknowledged by its chief proponent.”
The name of this “chief proponent” was not mentioned, because there was no need to do so. At this point in time, the name of Walter Pall and the concept of naturalistic bonsai are practically synonymous. He has written extensively about it, defining it and defending it across several continents and the vast expanse of the Internet, answering questions from doubters and fending off attacks from people who view him as some sort of horticultural heretic. Now he is coming to Asheville to be guest artist at the 16th annual Carolina Bonsai Expo, and to make his definitive statement about the Naturalistic Style of bonsai.
The North Carolina Arboretum is proud to welcome one of the most provocative, articulate and talented bonsai artists in the world today – Mr. Walter Pall of Germany. In a very special educational presentation on Saturday afternoon, Mr. Pall will begin with a slide show to illustrate his ideas about naturalistic design, using beautiful photographic images of bonsai from his own collection and others he has seen in his travels around the world. He will then move on to a live demonstration of his technique and naturalistic design concept, working with an old, untrained Scots Pine. The result of his work will be the newest addition to the NC Arboretum’s bonsai collection. Perhaps somewhere along the way someone will ask if naturalistic bonsai is really nothing more than a sales gimmick… and you better believe there will be a ready and entertaining answer! The “Main Event” presentation from the guest artist is always a highlight of any Expo, but this year’s promises to be particularly memorable.
This program is being given a time slot of 4 hours, in order to allow Mr. Pall ample opportunity to cover his topic in-depth while working on a challenging tree. Registrants will be able to come and go freely during this time. The program will be conducted in the classrooms on the 1st floor of the Education Center.
The cost of this program is $20 for Arboretum members and $23 for non-members and the 100 available spaces will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Reservations can be made online (beginning 9/24/11), by phone during business hours Monday through Friday ((828) 665-2492 ask for Peggy Eavenson) or in person at the Arboretum. Reservations must be secured by payment, either by credit card at the time of registration or by personal check received within 5 working days of the time of registration.
Regards,
Martin