Editor’s Notes
October 2024
How to judge a bonsai show — highlights from the Minnesota State Fair
By Jonas Dupuich
Originally Published on Bonsai Tonight
A Short Foreword by Jack Christiansen:
This might be helpful for those in our club judging our show next month.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to judge the Minnesota Bonsai Society's annual show held at the state fair. An amazing crowd of 225,000 people attended the fair that day, and many of them lined up to see the bonsai on display, a club tradition dating back to 1975.
For those who are curious about the process, I'll provide an overview of how I judge events like this. If you'd prefer to jump straight to the photos, just scroll down a bit past the text. (Thanks to Matt Spinniken for suggesting the topic!)
The Minnesota Bonsai Society asked me to provide scores for every tree in the exhibit and provide pointers about what the owners could do to strengthen their displays. This formed the basis of a critique that allowed members to ask questions to help them better understand bonsai conventions and learn tangible ways to improve their trees.
Scoring every tree in an exhibit is a good way to get an overall view of which trees stand out within their categories. This isn't always tenable for large exhibits (like the US National Exhibition). When there's no time to evaluate all of the trees in an exhibition you can simply take note of the trees that stand out to you and work from that list as you determine the award winners.
The core work of bonsai evaluation requires closely examining a tree to better understand its good and bad points - the same work, incidentally, that we do when we're shopping for bonsai.
One framework for doing this is to consider the traits inherent to the species. This might mean looking for pines that have aged bark, maples with fine branching, and junipers with interesting deadwood and movement. (See Conifers vs. deciduous bonsai: evaluating different species for details.)
Another approach is to think about the tree and the work done with it separately. For the state fair show, I considered the characteristics that the artist may have started with (for example, the trunk and surface roots) separately from the contributions of the artist (such as selecting a front and creating an effective branch design for the tree). Great trunks are wonderful on their own, but when the artist works for years to develop an attractive silhouette that complements the trunk perfectly, bonsai can become far more compelling than when they're first styled.
A final set of criteria applies to how well trees are displayed and prepared for exhibit. This is when you can consider tree health, top soil treatment and/or moss work, containers, accents, and any other display elements. When I talked about evaluating exhibits with UK artist Corin Tomlinson he made a great observation that relates to this. He said that he may score a tree lower when simply putting a short amount of time (as little as 15-45 minutes) would make a tree or display significantly better.
This could mean cleaning and oiling the pot, but making sure it's not too oily. It can mean looking out for moss ahead of the event so when the time comes you have a good supply of it on hand to cover the surface of the soil. It can mean weeding the pot (and accent) and trimming any new shoots to make sure the tree has the silhouette you have planned for it. It definitely means setting wired branches, if any, and removing any brown leaves or needles.
Because these tasks require more time than skill or money, it's possible for just about all of us to complete them. And when everyone chips in and does this work, it can be the difference between another typical show and an exhibit to remember.
The above covers the basics of how to judge a show. If you're curious about what a more detailed approach might look like, check out the Judging Rubric from the 2015 Artisans Cup and "Judge and Jury" from the Mirai Lecture Series (requires subscription). Both are great guides to the topic that help you create more compelling bonsai and bonsai displays.
Now for the trees! Here are some highlights from the 2024 Minnesota Bonsai Society's Annual State Fair Show.
GSBF Golden News
You will find the newest issue of the Golden News newsletter attached.
Key highlights include:
October 28th Golden Zoom with Jason Chan and his bio
Michael Roberts, GSBF Chair Message
Introducing Suzanne Muller, GSBF Board Member
Give Back Program - 3rd Quarter winners and soliciting applications for the 4th Quarter Special Club Project Award
Step by step directions to help your club to be listed on the GSBF website
4th Quarter Club Shows
Announcing Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt's new website
Upcoming events including GSBF Bonsai Rendezvous 2025
Dodie Newman
GSBF Treasurer
East Bay Bonsai Society Show
EBBS 2024 ANNUAL SHOW HELLO CLUB ORGANIZERS,
The East Bay Bonsai Society annual show is coming up in just 1.5 weeks! We would greatly appreciate your support sending the below note to your members to encourage them to participate in our 2024 show at Lake Merritt. Dan Robinson is headlining so it is sure to be an exciting event!
East Bay Bonsai Society invites you to attend our 2024 show with headliner Dan Robinson. Dan is a titan of the bonsai world and is driving all the way from his garden in Washington to show his trees and provide us with demos, workshops, and stories about the history of Bonsai in North America.
The show is on October 5 and 6 from 10 AM - 5 PM at the Lakeside Garden Center in Lake Merritt. Sales open at 10 AM on October 5th and the Carving demo with Dan is at 1:30 PM! We currently still have a few slots open for our Advanced Styling BYOT workshop with Dan as well our beginner workshop. Please reach out to barcalod@gmail.com if you have any questions or want to sign up for a workshop.
Come by and see some great trees, pick up some deals, and meet fellow bonsai enthusiasts. The full schedule can be viewed at below or at this link.
Regards,
Addison Galambos
The East Bay Bonsai Society show will be on October 5th-6th 2024 at the Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave in Oakland. Dan Robinson will be headlining.
ABAS DUELING DEMO
Hello bonsai friends,
American Bonsai Association Sacramento (ABAS) is pleased to host an exciting program:
Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00 pm will be our Dueling Bonsai Demo with Bjorn Bjorholm and Belgium artist, Yannick Kiggen. It is sure to be an exciting evening as we have a large collected Sierra Juniper and large Itoigawa juniper that will be styled with a twist. Bjorn and Yannick will be styling two trees at the same time, switching trees midway through the program. The trees will be raffled at the conclusion of the meeting.
Please see the attached flyer.
Dodie Newman
ABAS President
Top 5 updates about the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo
August 18, 2024 by Jonas Dupuich
The biggest bonsai event on the West Coast is only 10 weeks away! Here are the top 5 things you need to know about it.
1. Advance tickets are on sale now – enjoy reduced rates before prices go up closer to the event
2. Volunteer sign-ups are available online – help us provide a superior experience for visitors while enjoying free admission* (see the Volunteer page for details)
3. Demonstration and presentation schedule is online – see times and topics to help plan your visit
4. Our vendor list continues to grow – check out our amazing vendor line-up (43 and counting) and stay tuned for even more vendors in the coming weeks
5. Parking passes are going fast – Saturday passes are sold out, but Sunday passes are still available (Learn about nearby parking options on the Plan your visit page)
The 2nd Pacific Bonsai Expo will be held at the HJ Kaiser Center for the Arts at 10 10th Street in Oakland, California, on October 26-27. The event won’t be held again until 2026 so this fall is a great opportunity to see some of the finest bonsai in the US.
The new venue is more than twice as large as last time offering ample space for the exhibit trees, vendors, and programs we have lined up.
An ever growing army has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare everything. If you’d like to help, check the Volunteer Page, or, if you can help us ahead of the event, write us directly at info@pacificbonsaiexpo.org 🌳
Bjorn Bjorholm will be demoing with a Shimpaku Juniper at the Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Dr on October 24, 2024 from 6-9pm.
The Mammoth Auction and Sale will be on March 1 and 2, 2025.
UPCOMING Club Events PROGRAMS
Drew Tucker: Tools and Bonsai Vendors
Thursday October 3, 2024, 7:30PM
Midori Bonsai Club
Drew Tucker will be reviewing the products that he sells as a vendor, going over how bonsai tools are used in bonsai, as well as making available the items that will be needed for transplanting
Open Workshop
Thursday October 17, 2024, 7:30PM
Midori Bonsai Club
Last chance to bring in those trees. It’s time to get those show trees ready!
Midori 61st Annual Bonsai Show
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Quinlan Community Center
Our club’s 61st annual show has been scheduled. Get those trees ready. It’s here! 🌳
UPCOMING BONSAI EVENTS
For an up-to-date list, check out the Golden State Bonsai Federation events page.
Pacific Bonsai Expo
October 26-27, 2024, Oakland, California
pacificbonsaiexpo.org
The Pacific Bonsai Expo is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, formed in 2023. We aim to promote bonsai learning, and encourage bonsai practice and display at a high level. The organization runs a biannual bonsai show with entries from around the United States juried by a panel of accomplished artists. Accepted exhibitors for each show become the judging panel. PBE believes that by promoting bonsai excellence that more people will be inspired to learn and create bonsai. 🌳
