Renovating an old bonsai society

[leatherback]

When bonsai get overgrown, sluggish and in general, in poor health it is often recommended to put it in a new bigger pot, with fertilizer and work the roots a little. Once vigor begins to return, the tree is pruned back to the core and a new canopy is built.

I have the feeling I am up for something similar with a local bonsai society.

Last week I was asked whether I wanted to join the board of a club I have been a member of for 10 years now. Considering the time I have been a member and that this is where I really started learning about bonsai, I decided that I would accept, and give back to the club.

This is one of those bonsai clubs with most members well into retirement, and bonsai is more a social thing than a creative outlet. The members are not financially strong, and as such, the club is not a member of the national society. Most evenings consists of the members coming together, having a coffee and one or two of the members going around helping out trimming trees. When I come in with a large pot and start cutting back to nothing, they (used to) snicker. Fortunately they now have seen enough of my trees to realize there is some system to the madness . We get regularly people exploring the hobby, but leaving after a few meetings. During COVID we have had 1 online event, which stopped because it was too complex for many.

So that was a setting of the picture.
Over the last year the club lost several of the old members, out of age, desinterest and moving away. The board of the club will see 2 out of 5 board members change. The 3 staying on are all non-retired, somewhat younger members. With that, I have decided that I would like to try and rejuvenate the club a little. I know there is another thread on "how to make a good society". But I would like to explore specifically the situation above, and hear your opinions. I do NOT want to ruin a good social evening for the old sitting members. On the other hand, I would love to get this society a little more dynamic, and bring bonsai more prominently in there.

How would you go about this challenge of renewing the club energy , and is this possible to do without upsetting the 25+ year members.. ?

 

[Lutonian]

It's going to be hard work the club I go to is similar and older members don't like change or to be shown a better way in some cases.

 

[Graft]

Unfortunately my friend being a committee member for ANY club or society is very often a thankless task. And you will be left with many decisions that are "damned if you do damned if you don't". And you certainly won't be able to please all members. That being said, if you can manage to implement even a little bit of change, it can be very rewarding. If you are looking at invigorating your club, start with small changes. Once members adopt these and start to trust what you are doing is in the best interests of the club you can reach a little higher, then carry on from there. I wish you all the best in the endeavour.

 

[Shibui]

It could be worthwhile trying extra meetings. Keep the traditional meetings for those that are happy with that format but add another evening or day each month to explore new possibilities. One of the groups I belong to have traditional evening meetings with a speaker talking and showing a particular subject but they also do a Saturday morning session each month entirely devoted to members' trees. Members can bring in a tree and get time to show it and talk about its history so far and plans for the future or to ask for input on where to go if they are unsure. They also do regular workshops where experienced mentors help newer members style trees. These are much more laid back than the traditional visiting expert workshop so people ask questions, offer advice or just watch proceedings.

 

[Woocash]

I am not a member of a bonsai club, but seeing as one old boys’ club will be the same as any other, any rapid change is likely to meet resistance. So, what are they already used to? How often do workshops or visits from speakers occur? At risk of alienation of those who aren’t interested, can you offer extra meetings for the technical side of bonsai, for example. Or could you offer two tiers of membership, one where there is a place for people to come and socialise and one to be more proactive (with the option to join in, if desired)?

edit. Doh! Shibui got there first.

 

[Starfox]

The occasional overnight trip is something I'd totally do on a Saturday/Sunday. Pick a nice area in the country side where you can free camp or a camping park near a area of interest where you can spend the days wandering around the forest, mountain what have you drawing inspiration from nature. You can observe the type of seasonal growth of species, local soils, seed collecting, sketching etc...
People can each bring a tree to work on and have a mini workshop one day even. Depending on how serious you want to get you get get a local ranger or biologist to give a talk on a walk.
Not knowing the law in Germany but it'd be really awesome to have a yamadori dig if it is at all possible. You wouldn't need to do all of the things mentioned in one trip, you could do a few trips a year and cover all sorts of topics really.

Night time just relax by a fire, eat , drink and talk crap.
If some don't wont to camp then make it accessible to them for a day trip on the day of their choice.

Bonus points if it is near a lake, river or ocean so you can ditch the schedule and go fishing instead or you could all rock around Walters joint and use his dunny.

 

[Tieball]

I’d frequently offer special situation learning on a tree that would be considered common among the members. Older members are most comfortable observing. And, while observing enlist a couple for hands-on help with some tasks. Members like to look relevant, however, they do back away from volunteering because they don’t want to look bad at something. They know that, or believe that, they are not very good at handling someone else's tree material. Even mistakes are encouraged...not as mistakes...just as different interpretations of directions or instructions.

 

[JesusFreak]

You could find some people that want change and start your own club if there are too many stiff necks. I come come across this in ministry as well. There’s nothing like the fire that comes from like minded people. My rule of thumb is work where God is working.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I made a hard push to do this with our local club years ago. We had some very long-time members who were resistant to change, which added a degree of difficulty to my efforts; as a much younger guy who also wasn’t from Birmingham. We had a lot of complacency and inertia to overcome. You will need to make a plan and gain some support internally with the board and then have them help you get the membership excited about what’s to come.

Good meeting programs are crucial...entertain and educate with a demonstration of timely work. Have an evening show with every meeting; encourage members to bring a tree and have a mini show with every meeting.

We had members get up and give a brief history of the tree they brought. We would communicate the meeting theme ahead of time and encourage members to bring relevant trees; shohin, specific species, or styles.

We bought bulk quantities of akadama and lava to encourage members to use better soils. That made a huge difference in tree quality over time with our members.

I made a really hard run at bringing in world-class artists for workshops and demos and the costs were higher, but the results were better than some of our regional semi-pros. It was disappointing that some resisted to working with the top guys vs. the cheaper guys. Especially when the cost difference wasn’t significant in the broader view, and some of the work coming out of the regional guys’ workshops was abysmal.

From the beginning, I wanted our show to be judged, which was met with lots of resistance; especially from the long-timers with trees styled in the 1980s and hadn’t improved since. But many trees did improve after the first judged show, and continue to improve, and our show has been judged by Kathy Shaner for several years now. It has advanced into a show to be rather proud of.

Do be prepared for it to feel thankless and to have no momentum outside your own efforts at times. Also, consider the aspect of “what’s in it for me?” While the overall club should benefit first, what do you want the venture to help you accomplish? I was very deliberate about this because it was a big investment of my time. So for me, it was an opportunity to teach, use club funds to finance large quantities of soil components, and to make some contacts with the top pros around the world. I achieved those goals.

Good luck!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Clubs are all about organization, communication, and ease of attendance. The easier it is to be a member, the more likely people will be to show up for meetings, which in turn drives social relationships, and will keep the club alive.

If at all possible, find a host where you can meet on a monthly / regular basis. Much easier than to have a rotating meeting location. If this location allows you to have shows or exhibitions, so much the better! Make sure your shows are open to the public - it is the single best way to attract new members. Create a bonsai calendar, where the meetings are themed. It is much easier to create an agenda when you are working to a themed calendar, than if you have to create a new topic each meeting.

 

[bwaynef]

Dang BVF! You've got me wanting to move to B'ham.

One suggestion for getting the older folks involved with the younger is to set up a mentor system for new members. Maybe present it with a time limit of one year, and assure the older members that only the most basic of basics need to be presented. Encourage them to meet outside the regular meeting, ...or set a specific day/weekend for the mentor group to meet. In theory at least, if they're willing to participate, this would help the beginners and engage the older folks at the same time. Present at the beginning to those interested that the older folks are likely to be challenged by new techniques and the younger may learn a few bad habits that need unlearning later. Quality regular meetings are crucial here for both. Having a relationship in place with the younger folks may make the older folks less resistant to some of the new techniques presented by them.

 

[sorce]

Do you know WHY they asked you to get on the board?
If it's just to fill a position with a breather, you may not want to.
If it's to reinvigorate the club, you'll be less frustrated doing it.

I'd ask. Not to make a decision on wether you will or not, but to know how to best proceed. Foresee the hurdles if you will.

What position? Diaper Changer or Cheif Decision Maker?

I'd interview everyone individually too, you'll probably find out everyone wants the same things, just no one has been able to put the information together and make things happen.

I think the biggest problem is that people think Bonsai is done one way.
I see pottery communities flourish as a "creative outlet", since it is already rather accepted that it's done many ways.
Perhaps looking to these pottery co-ops can help.
Even sitting in on any other type of club meeting, to see what works and what doesn't.

Sorce

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

I made a hard push to do this with our local club years ago. We had some very long-time members who were resistant to change, which added a degree of difficulty to my efforts; as a much younger guy who also wasn’t from Birmingham. We had a lot of complacency and inertia to overcome. You will need to make a plan and gain some support internally with the board and then have them help you get the membership excited about what’s to come.

Good meeting programs are crucial...entertain and educate with a demonstration of timely work. Have an evening show with every meeting; encourage members to bring a tree and have a mini show with every meeting.

We had members get up and give a brief history of the tree they brought. We would communicate the meeting theme ahead of time and encourage members to bring relevant trees; shohin, specific species, or styles.

We bought bulk quantities of akadama and lava to encourage members to use better soils. That made a huge difference in tree quality over time with our members.

I made a really hard run at bringing in world-class artists for workshops and demos and the costs were higher, but the results were better than some of our regional semi-pros. It was disappointing that some resisted to working with the top guys vs. the cheaper guys. Especially when the cost difference wasn’t significant in the broader view, and some of the work coming out of the regional guys’ workshops was abysmal.

From the beginning, I wanted our show to be judged, which was met with lots of resistance; especially from the long-timers with trees styled in the 1980s and hadn’t improved since. But many trees did improve after the first judged show, and continue to improve, and our show has been judged by Kathy Shaner for several years now. It has advanced into a show to be rather proud of.

Do be prepared for it to feel thankless and to have no momentum outside your own efforts at times. Also, consider the aspect of “what’s in it for me?” While the overall club should benefit first, what do you want the venture to help you accomplish? I was very deliberate about this because it was a big investment of my time. So for me, it was an opportunity to teach, use club funds to finance large quantities of soil components, and to make some contacts with the top pros around the world. I achieved those goals.

Good luck!

I was the secretary/webmaster at my local club for two years. Brian made a good point, that being in a position on the board of a club helps you to build relationships with local artists. I had the club book @MACH5 at our club for a tree critique/demo, and we have been friends ever since. I highly recommend him to anyone!!! He has been at my place multiple times, and I had the pleasure of visiting his house once. I have learned so much from his posts here, as well as hands on experience working on my trees under his supervision.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

People don't like change. So I expect you to get some backlash from the old members.
One of the keys to overcome this is to make them think it's their idea. This is harder to do than to say. Because you have to keep a couple secrets, and you'll have to deal with the most stubborn old farts first.
But! Once you've convinced those guys, they'll become the most militant dudes in the group and they'll have your back.

We used to pull this trick with kids when I was a youth worker. Shove some employment ads in their direction, but we edited the texts first to make sure they'd pick the ones we wanted them to pick - because we were sure they'd be able to pull off a job like that. When two out of the five literal killer-kids finally got a job, they started flaunting their money and the rest followed soon after.

I honestly don't know what it would take to get a bonsai club to be revamped. I don't know what the community is like around there.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Does your club charge dues? The money could be used to bring in guest speakers.

 

[keri-wms]

I really tried to push for bigger name guests at my club too but it was resisted as the same two usual localish speakers are cheaper (even though we are financially healthy). I argued the bigger names would attract entry fee paying visitors plus new members that would cover the cost but nope. My club is nearly entirely retired members and I’m working plus two kids so I had to give up and drop out of the committee again.

To be honest Covid has screwed things up so badly I don’t see a way back with our demographic (no meetings at all since it all started), I put a social media group in place several years ago but I’m the only person sharing stuff so again I pretty much gave up there too.

 

[BrianBay9]

We are also struggling with zoom meetings, workshops and very occasional in person, socially distant activities. Before covid our regular meetings had 30 - 40 attendees, workshops maybe 10. Now we have 10 or 11 for a zoom meeting with professional presentation, 3 or 4 for workshops. The zoom meetings began like Saturday Night Live skits of zoom meetings, but they've improved. We still have many members who are not capable or willing to deal with the technology. The workshops in particular suffer from trying to demo technique and styling via a computer screen. I have new found respect for those professionals who have been able to produce a clear, high quality video presentation of styling or technique.

It's a lot of effort for a marginal return. It seems like we're just hanging on until we can meet in person again. Maybe this summer or early fall?