National Bonsai Apprenticeship
The National Bonsai Apprenticeship trains a new generation of American bonsai artists to ensure the future of the art of bonsai. This renowned program offers immersive education with expert curators and caretakers, hands-on experience with America’s national bonsai and penjing collections, and daily opportunities to hone horticultural and artistic talents.
The program is sponsored by donors like you and has been previously supported by Toyota North America, the Hill Foundation, and the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation.
The first Curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was Robert Drechsler, who served in that position from the 1976 founding of the Museum until 1998. In 2011, during the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Museum, the National Bonsai Foundation established an internship at the Museum to honor Mr. Drechsler for his many years of service. It was then called the First Curator’s Apprenticeship.
Applications are closed for 2025.
Meet the Apprentices
Many National Bonsai Apprentices have gone on to do significant work in the world of bonsai. Click each name to explore their bios below:
ISIAH WHITE (2024)
Current role: National Bonsai Apprentice, National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
angelica ramirez (2023)
Subsequent role: Bonsai Assistant, Chicago Botanic Garden
HENRY BASILE (2022)
Subsequent role: Assistant Curator, Shofu-en Japanese Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens
SOPHIA OSORIO (2020)
Subsequent role: Coordinator, Natural Resources Defense Council
ANDY BELLO (2019)
Subsequent role: Assistant Curator, National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
Aaron Hughes (2016)
Subsequent role: Horticulture Curator of Asian Gardens, The Huntington
apprentices 2012-2018
Apply for the Apprenticeship
REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT BEFORE APPLYING
Applications are now open for the Apprenticeship. Applications will be accepted from August 12 through September 16 each year. Interviews will be scheduled thereafter with the final candidate selected by the end of October. Please email a cover letter including your personal background in bonsai and your long-term career plan to USNA.Internships@usda.gov.
Describe pertinent talents and life experiences that you bring to this position. Also include your resume, references, and transcripts (unofficial are acceptable). If you have any questions, please call the National Arboretum’s Coordinator at 202-245-4529.
Learn more about the program from this ABC News story:
NATIONAL BONSAI APPRENTICES
ISIAH WHITE (2024)
Isiah White comes to the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum after four years of learning at Superfly Bonsai, a local bonsai supplier in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the business had to close, but there was a silver lining: Isiah had the opportunity to apply for the nation’s premiere bonsai apprenticeship, which is funded by the National Bonsai Foundation.
Isiah brings five years of experience to the role. He has grown and maintained a wide variety of live tree stock, managed collections and nurseries, and nurtured hundreds of specimens professionally and personally. “The feeling of seeing plants successfully grow brings me a lot of excitement and joy,” he said.
Studying with renowned bonsai artists has helped to further hone his craft. He has learned from experts such as Chuck Harris, Chase Rosade, and Hugo Zamora. Every artist has a unique approach to this fascinating medium, and which has influenced his philosophy and deepened his understanding of the art form.
Isiah’s bonsai journey began in earnest in 2017, but his interest in art started much earlier.
ANGELICA RAMIREZ (2023)
Angelica Ramirez was selected as the 2023 National Bonsai Apprentice. Originally from Florida, Angelica has been a cellist for over fifteen years and attended the University of Florida for Music Performance. She is also an accomplished archer, having won multiple championships and breaking multiple state and international records. She has earned her place on the USA Archery Team twice and was named Florida Sports Foundation's 2017 Female Athlete of the Year. Angelica is an avid painter and also holds a Helicopter Private Pilot license. These various pursuits in life have led her to the art of bonsai.
Read more about Angelica on our blog.
Angelica began practicing bonsai in 2019 as a way to relax from flight school. She has studied under several teachers including Feng Gu of Penjing Bonsai Garden, Peter Chan of Herons Bonsai, and David Cutchin of D&L Bonsai. She was the first bonsai intern at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she worked under the Garden’s bonsai curator (and former National Bonsai & Penjing Museum national bonsai apprentice), Chris Baker. Angelica is the creator of Discover Potters, the global online database of bonsai potters which includes direct links to over 400 active potters in over 45 countries; and includes resources for finding and learning about bonsai pottery.
Several of her accomplishments include earning second place at the Bonsai Societies of Florida’s styling competition, which earned her a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and awarded the opportunity to be a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention. During that year, Angelica showcased her bonsai at the 2022 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and later, at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Read Angelica’s heartfelt thank you letter. Reflecting on her experience at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum this past year, she writes about how she got started in bonsai, the gratitude she feels for this opportunity, and how the role has prepared her for the next steps in her journey, both personally and professionally.
HENRY BASILE (2022)
Henry Basile was selected as the 2022 National Bonsai Apprentice. His previous internship at the Denver Botanic Gardens sparked his love of bonsai when he met his mentor, prominent bonsai artist and author Larry Jackel, who taught him about each facet of the Denver collection. That internship blossomed from an intriguing career move to a flourishing understanding of horticulture and artistic expression.
He delved into the works of notable artists like Bjorn Bjorholm, Michael Hagedorn and Bill Valavanis, and he studied the styles and techniques described in John Naka’s texts. Though Henry was first drawn to bonsai from a scientific standpoint having graduated from Kansas State with a horticultural degree, his internship in Denver helped him root his work in purpose and pride.
Henry first learned about the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum through acclaimed writer and former NBF Board Member Ann McClellan’s “Bonsai and Penjing: Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty,” available for order at the NBF bookstore. He picked Larry’s brain about the national collection and staff members involved in maintaining its prestige and vitality. When the apprenticeship opened, he knew he had to throw his hat in the ring.
Learn more about Henry’s path to us and read his thank you letter.
SOPHIA OSORIO (2020)
Sophia Osorio was selected as the 2020 National Bonsai Apprentice. Her previous internship at the Central Park Conservancy in New York City first piqued her interest in wanting to work outside. Sophia’s passion for trees first came to light during an environmental ethics course she took during her undergraduate education at Binghamton University in New York. She learned about the philosophical side of the environment, like how society’s carbon footprint affects Earth.
She first became interested in bonsai during an arbor culture certificate program she took part in at the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx. When she isn’t learning about the Museum’s collections, Sophia keeps active with trips to the gym, hikes and long walks. She recently visited the Redwood Forest in California.
ANDY BELLO (2019)
Andy Bello earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation and Management from the University of Arizona in 2016. A native of Illinois, his fascination with bonsai catalyzed after he stumbled across Peter Chan’s “Bonsai: The Art of Growing and Keeping Miniature Trees” in 2016. His readings prompted him to join the Eugene Bonsai Society, a group of Oregon bonsai enthusiasts. He soon began a monthly apprenticeship at Driftwood Nursery in Bandon, Oregon where he learned basic bonsai skills and developed his passion for the trees.
A desire to be closer to family on the East Coast prompted him to apply for The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum’s First Curator’s Apprenticeship. Andy was selected as the 2019 National Bonsai Apprentice, where he further honed his skills and techniques. He was then hired on as a temporary Agricultural Research Technician with the US National Arboretum. In spring of 2020, Andy was selected to a permanent position as the Museum’s Assistant Curator. He loves bonsai for many reasons, but most of all because of its power to connect people to the natural world and to promote the preservation and conservation of the environment.
2012-2018
david rizwan (2018)
A native of New Jersey, David Rizwan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science degree degree in Chemical Engineering and Philosophy. While employed as an administrator in the engineering field he was searching for a relaxing hobby when he discovered bonsai and began developing a personal collection of tropical species. He also began volunteering in the bonsai collection at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh where he led introductory bonsai classes and participated in all aspects of bonsai care. In 2018 he was chosen as the First Curator’s Apprentice for the Museum. At the conclusion of the internship he moved to San Antonio Texas to continue developing his collection of bonsai and to explore the possibility of opening a bonsai business.
tony green (2017)
The love of both art and horticulture drew Tony Green to bonsai. In an effort to elevate his amateur skills, he became a member of several local bonsai clubs and study groups in South Florida, where he was introduced to many skilled bonsai artists. Craving more insight into the craft, Tony began volunteering weekly to help maintain the prized bonsai collection at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Boca Raton, Florida. Through his work at the Morikami Museum, Tony gained a solid foundation in the art form of bonsai. Tony’s passion for understanding trees led him on a 5-month journey in 2016 hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, during which he studied the shape, growth patterns, and unique characteristics of thousands of trees. This journey only increased his passion for bonsai study. Upon his return, Tony was chosen as the 2017 First Curator’s Apprentice and gained additional experience and knowledge to further refine his bonsai skills. Tony remains closely involved with the Lighthouse Bonsai Society in Florida and still works weekly on the trees at the Morikami Museum. He gains immense joy in sharing his love of bonsai with others.
Aaron Hughes (2016)
The internship of Aaron Hughes was the first to be supported financially by a grant from Toyota Motor North America. A graduate of the Tyler School of art at Temple University, he traveled extensively in Europe and then spent a year in New Zealand as a rock climbing instructor and gardener. Aaron first discovered the art of bonsai by accident when he purchased bonsai care book at a used bookstore thinking it was about vegetable gardening. Several weeks later he flipped through the book and “was instantly hooked by an art form that seeks to mimic nature by sculpting living, breathing organisms that are constantly growing and changing. What an impossible yet enticing challenge to undertake!” After his Apprenticeship concluded, Aaron signed on for a five-year apprenticeship under Junichiro Tanaka at Aichi-en Bonsai Nursery in Nagoya, Japan.
Watch this ABC News story from 2016 about Aaron’s experience.
danny coffey (2015)
Daniel Coffey is an American bonsai artist based in the hills of western North Carolina. His passion for bonsai has lead him to a deep appreciation for a variety of styles and disciplines within the art form. He has spent multiple years living in Japan as a formal apprentice to Junichiro Tanaka, 4th generation bonsai master of 'Aichien', a bonsai nursery in Nagoya operating for over 120 years. Additionally, he has served as intern and visiting artist for some of the United State's finest public and private bonsai collections, including the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. and The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, Washington.
ALESHA BURK (2014)
Alesha Burk was the third intern to hold the First Curator’s Apprenticeship. Ms. Burk held a Bachelor of Fine Arts from from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a major in Interdisciplinary Sculpture and a concentration in Curatorial Studies and Art History and pursued bonsai as a hobby. After she completed her internship she pursued a career in the field of fine arts.
CHRIS BAKER (2013)
Chris Baker’s journey began 15 years ago in Gainesville, Florida when he was introduced to bonsai. After moving to Maryland in 2004 to work as a horticulturist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, he joined the Baltimore Bonsai Club. In 2010 Baker, at an Open House at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, met Curator Jack Sustic and expressed an interest in one day curating a public bonsai collection. He began volunteering at the Museum in the spring of 2011 and then, thanks to an introduction from Sustic to Tohru Suzuki, a third generation bonsai master in Japan, Baker spent 6 months in 2012 as an apprentice at the Daijuen Nursery. In 2013 he was chosen for the NBF sponsored First Curators Apprenticeship position. His research project, interviews with Chase Rosade and Marybel Balendonck, who had donated important trees to the Museum’s permanent collection, was a highlight of his internship. In 2014 Baker’s dream to curate a public bonsai collection came true when he accepted a position as the first full time curator at The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe Illinois. There he has used the skills and knowledge gained in Japan and at the National Arboretum, to raise the status and quality of the Chicago collection.
MICAH MILES (2012)
Ms. Miles, an Environmental Science and Policy major at the University of Maryland, remembers the most important part of her internship to be that every bonsai tree has a story and she spent much of her time at the Museum trying to unravel the stories behind the trees. Near the end of her time at the Museum Micah herself became part of the story when she helped prepare an Ezo spruce tree that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requested to be on display at a state dinner for the Prime Minister of Japan.