On May 6 through 8, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) Festival returned to the U.S. National Arboretum and National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. The festival included an exhibition of bonsai, formal bonsai displays, vendors, workshops, demonstrations, and more! It was a rainy weekend, but that didn’t stop bonsai enthusiasts from taking advantage of the return of this annual event.
PBA bonsai display in the courtyard of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
PBA is an umbrella organization (no pun intended) serving and consisting of several smaller bonsai clubs and societies in the Washington D. C., Maryland, and Virginia region. Club members were able to display their trees on tables surrounding the museum courtyard. This allowed visitors a rare opportunity to see the bonsai of local hobbyists alongside specimens that are part of the world-class collection at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. In addition to the courtyard display, which was open to the sky and rain, some bonsai were exhibited inside the display wing of the museum in a more formal setting.
PBA members discussing the arrangement of formal displays in the display wing.
Two event tents were erected on the lawn just across from the museum. The larger was filled by bonsai vendors from across the country who offered all manner of bonsai related items for sale. Both long-time bonsai enthusiasts and the newly-bonsai-curious were able to peruse and purchase bonsai and pre-bonsai plant material, bonsai pots and tools, and other related art and display accents. Especially during the rainy parts of the weekend, the vendors tent was a wonderful place to escape the weather, catch up with old friends, and feel immersed in the bonsai experience all at once.
Guest bonsai artist Mark Fields was present all weekend to share his expertise with participants. Mark has practiced bonsai since his childhood and is the owner of Bonsai by Fields, LLC – a bonsai nursery in Indiana. He is the current president of the American Bonsai Society, and member of the National Bonsai Foundation Board of Directors. He presented a bonsai demonstration on Saturday morning and led intermediate and advanced bonsai workshops on each day of the festival.
Mark Field beginning the bonsai demonstration.
For those with less experience, PBA also hosted beginner workshops in the smaller event tent. Members of the public and bonsai beginners of all ages were able to register for the workshop which included a small plant, training pot, soil, wire, and – most importantly – guidance from PBA members through the process of styling the plant material into the beginnings of a bonsai that will bring enjoyment for many years to come. Participants were given hands on support and information for the continued care and training of their new bonsai.
With two years away and a weekend of chilly rain, it might be tempting to think that few would show up, but the bonsai community and the bonsai-curious showed up in force to make the weekend a great success. It seems the pandemic invigorated the appetite for bonsai rather than dampen it (pun intended)! For more information about PBA and its member clubs, check out https://potomacbonsai.com/.
For information on the National Bonsai Foundation and ways to help the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum check out https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/.