The 2018 6thUS National Bonsai Exhibition will be held on September 8-9, 2018 at the Total Sports Experience in East Rochester, New York.
Our first US National Bonsai Exhibition was held in October 2008 against warnings that the event would never succeed because of the vast area of our country and lack of support. I did not listen to them, but rather depended upon the support of others who wanted to see a national exhibition representing bonsai from all areas of the country. Additionally an Invitational Suiseki Exhibit has been quite popular and will again be repeated.
Past Exhibitions:
1st October 2008, Monroe Community Hospital
2nd June 2010, Monroe Community Hospital
3rd June 2012, The Fair & Expo Center
4th September 2014, Total Sports Experience
5th September 2016, Total Sports Experience
In total for the first five exhibitions 679 potential exhibitors submitted photos of 1,634 bonsai for the selection process. To date 517 exhibitors from 40 states and two provinces of Canada have displayed 1,336 bonsai in the first five US National Bonsai Exhibitions. There have been 470 individual shohin bonsai displayed. Less than a dozen bonsai have been repeated even though a bonsai can be again displayed after four years. During that four year period bonsai improved and are more refined. Additionally many of the bonsai displayed have also been previously displayed in the Kokufu Bonsai Exhibition sponsored by the Nippon Bonsai Association in Tokyo, Japan.
It is difficult to state how many different species and cultivars have been displayed in total because so many have been repeated. However, in the last 2016 5th US National Bonsai Exhibition alone there were 120 different species and cultivars, which is significantly more than any other bonsai exhibition, anywhere. This year at least 13 new species and cultivars will be displayed, plus many unusual shohin bonsai species.
Special Displays
The following organizations have displayed some of their finest specimens during the first five exhibitions:
US National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Montreal Botanic Garden
Kennett Collection
Arnold Arboretum
Arnold Arboretum Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection
Chicago Botanic Garden
Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection
North Carolina Arboretum
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
University of Michigan Matthaei Botanic Gardens Bonsai & Penjing Collection
Karamatsu Bonsai Study Group, Canada
Royal Botanic Garden Bonsai Study Group, Canada
Significant and costly efforts were made by many people for safe transport and importing. Our generous sponsors and donors help to defray costs from long distances as California, Oregon, Texas and Florida.
Benefit Auction
On Saturday afternoon at 4pm, after the last demonstration we will host a Benefit Auction to help defray expenses for the US National Bonsai Exhibition. The donated auction trees and items will be on display all day on Saturday before the auction, which will be held in the demonstration area of the exhibition.
Auction tree
Auction tree
Up for auction, tree only
Award Banquet
At the Saturday evening Award Banquet cash prizes in excess of $8,000 will be presented to the winners as selected by our three international judges, Lindsay Bebb, Australia, Taiga Urushibata, Japan and Mauro Stemberger, Italy. Limited Award Banquet tickets are available until September 1stat a $50 cost.
The National Award
Finest Bonsai Masterpiece
$1,000
Evergreen Bonsai Award
Finest Evergreen Bonsai
$500
Deciduous Bonsai Award
Finest Deciduous Bonsai
$500
Medium Size Bonsai Award
Finest Medium Size Award
$500
Custom Oriental Woodcraft Award
Finest Shohin Bonsai Display
$1,000 Shohin Bonsai Display Table
Mame Bonsai Award
Finest Mame Bonsai
$1,000 Handmade Kawada Bonsai Container
Yoshimura Award
Finest Classical Bonsai
$500
Bonsai Travel Award
Finest Bonsai & Companion Plant Combination
$300
Nippon Bonsai Association Award
Finest Japanese Style Bonsai
Exhibition Album
All American Bonsai Award
Finest American Species Bonsai in an American Container on an American Display Table
$1,000
ABS North American Bonsai Award
Finest North American Native Species Bonsai
$1,000
Puerto Rico Bonsai Federation Award
Finest Tropical Bonsai
$300
Maggio Associated Suiseki Award
Finest Suiseki- In memory of Felix Rivera
$300
Gondo Satsuki Azalea Award
Finest Satsuki Azalea Bonsai
$400
Invitational Bonsai Exhibit Award
Finest Bonsai from Special Exhibits
$300
Canadian Bonsai Award
Finest Bonsai from Canada
$300
Demonstrations & Critiques
On Saturday and Sunday mornings Sean Smith will be talking on suiseki and Michael Ryan Bell will talk about containers. Mauro Stemberger (Italy), Taiga Urushibata (Japan) and Lindsay & Glennis Bebb will demonstrate on evergreen bonsai. The bonsai will be auctioned on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Mauro Stemberger demo tree
Lindsay & Glennis Bebb demo tree
Taiga Urushibata demo tree
Each day critiques of the bonsai and suiseki will be presented by Bjorn Bjorholm, Kora Dalager, David DeGroot, David Easterbrook, Boon Manakitivipart, Larry & Nina Ragle, Kathy Shaner, Sean Smith and Suthin Sukosolvisit.
All demonstrations and critiques are FREE with the paid daily admission of $20.
Sales Area
Over 40 vendors from across the United States and Canada will be brining their finest bonsai, pre-bonsai, containers, tools, supplies, suiseki, scrolls and more for sale. Everything you need to create, maintain and appreciate your bonsai.
Come join us on September 8-9, 2018 as the United States proudly displays well over 200 beautiful and distinctive bonsai for the world to show what kind of bonsai are being grown and trained in our country. Enjoy bonsai fellowship with visitors traveling from Japan, China, India, Australia, Europe, South America, Africa, Mexico and Canada. It is not too late to join us and join us celebrating bonsai in the United States!
Additional information:
or
WNV@internationalbonsai.com
Visit with your long time friends and make new friends enjoying bonsai fellowship
