Announcing a transition on the Board of Directors

After three years of dedicated service, our Chair of the Board Richard Kahn is transitioning from his role. His contributions over the years have been notable, including leading the board out of the pandemic, helping to initiate a Federal advocacy effort, establishing an annual financial gift to support operational and educational efforts for the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, and helping to secure a significant gift of suiseki (known as viewing stones or scholars' rocks). We are grateful for his leadership and the impact he has had on our organization and the bonsai community at large.

As we move forward, Dan Angelucci has been appointed as Chair of the Board. Dan has been a passionate board member since 2018, serving as Secretary-Treasurer elect and on the Executive Committee for the past two years. His dedication to bonsai spans nearly four decades, and he is currently a member of the American Bonsai Society and the Pittsburgh Bonsai Society and is a past member of the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society of Michigan.

Dan's love for bonsai is deeply rooted, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to NBF. He is committed to promoting the arts of bonsai, penjing, and suiseki; partnering with the U.S. National Arboretum to support the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum; and working to cultivate recognition of, and appreciation for, the art of bonsai in America. As Chair, he will guide us through an exciting new chapter, helping to ensure that this remarkable living art form continues to inspire and educate future generations.

We look forward to continuing our work together under Dan’s leadership. Please join us in thanking Richard for his service on the board, and in welcoming Dan to his new role!

Dan Angelucci, second from left, helps cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the 8th annual U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York.

An Experience at The National Bonsai Exhibition: NBF Board Chair-Elect Dan Angelucci

Though the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and staff did not formally participate in this year’s National Bonsai Exhibition due to federal COVID-19 guidelines, a few National Bonsai Foundation board members attended of their own accord. Museum staff sent in an enlarged photo of a Mary Madison buttonwood in the North American collection to honor Mary’s memory at the show. Please enjoy this short recap from NBF Board Chair-Elect Dan Angelucci, who was in attendance along with NBF Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Ross Campbell. 

The National Bonsai Exhibition is held biannually in Rochester, New York.  It is organized by former NBF Board Member Bill Valavanis and his wife Diane, who are owners of The International Bonsai Arboretum. The exhibition displays more than 200 bonsai of various species and sizes along with a sales area of vendors from all over the United States.

This year’s (the 7th) exhibition was held Sept. 11 and 12. There were more than 50 volunteers from the bonsai community, primarily from the Rochester area and the Upstate New York Bonsai Society.

To display a tree in the exhibit, one had to submit photos of their tree to the committee along with information about the species, size, age and pot. Entries had to be submitted by early May, with acceptance notification coming in June. This means that if your tree was accepted, you had to maintain its health and appearance all summer until the exhibition!  

Needless to say, I was very excited to receive an acceptance for my Cotaneaster!  I’ve named him “Jack” after his original owner, my friend and teacher Jack Wikle. I had the task of keeping my tree safe, healthy and styled through the summer until September.

My wife Rose and I drove more than four hours from our home in Pittsburgh to deliver Jack to the show. To say we were awestruck when we arrived is an understatement! People were everywhere setting up displays, bringing trees in and making sure trees were being placed and displayed properly. And the trees – WOW! The quality of the trees exhibited was amazing. The artistry and talent displayed were truly exceptional.  Additionally, it was a great honor that Bill Valavanis asked me to join him for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the event to the public.

I met many people while manning the NBF booth along with my colleague and fellow NBF member Ross Campbell who attended the show with his wife Maureen. It was an added pleasure to see my friends from the Ann Arbor Michigan Bonsai Society: Cyril Grum, Jay Sinclair and, especially, Jack Wikle.

For more information and photos, check out Bill Valavanis’ blog. 

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

National Bonsai Foundation Introduces 2020-21 Board of Directors

We are thrilled to announce the National Bonsai Foundation 2020-21 Board of Directors! James Hughes is our new Board Chair. Read about his curatorship at the Museum and his background in our August blog posts. Marybel Balendonck, one of the founding NBF directors, will retain her position as vice president. 

We also have some new faces in officer positions. Help us welcome Chair-Elect Daniel Angelucci and Secretary/Treasurer James Brant. 

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Daniel Angelucci, Chair-Elect

Daniel Angelucci will serve as the NBF chair-elect for two years, followed by a two-year term as the NBF board chair. Angelucci has been practicing bonsai for 36 years. 

He was first introduced to the art when he lived in Flint, Michigan, and came across a bonsai demonstration at a local mall. Angelucci was inspired to buy books about bonsai to learn more. 

In 2008, his interest in bonsai took off after he joined the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society and the Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan. The clubs exposed him to nationally recognized groups, like the American Bonsai Society (ABS), and bonsai artists like Jack Wikle and former NBF Co-President and Museum Curator Jack Sustic. 

Angelucci first joined the NBF board as a member in 2018. He decided to apply for the chair-elect officer position to contribute a varying skill set to the operations in support of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.

“It seemed to me that about 90 percent of the people who were on the board of the Foundation were bonsai professionals in some form or another,” he said. “I’m mediocre in bonsai art at best, but I thought I might have something to offer with regard to the time and talent I accrued in my financial and business backgrounds.” 

Now fully retired, Angelucci brings to the NBF board an extensive background in wealth management and investment strategy, with educational certificates from Duke, Harvard, Yale, Wharton and University of California, Berkeley.

He is a longtime friend of the arts, serving on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and holding memberships in NBF, ABS, the Ann Arbor bonsai society and Pittsburgh Bonsai Society. 

As chair-elect, Angelucci will focus on forging relationships with U.S. bonsai professionals and broadening the awareness of the Museum to maintain its significance as a U.S. national treasure. 

“There’s so much history in the original gift that the Japanese gave to the United States and in trees like the Yamaki pine, which survived the Hiroshima bombing,” he said. “It would be a travesty if we were not able to maintain the health of trees like that.” 

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James Brant, Secretary/Treasurer

James Brant will serve as Secretary/Treasurer for two years, then step into the full position of Secretary/Treasurer for two more. 

Brant taught various levels of education, from elementary school to adult evening school, for 31 years in Pennsylvania, retiring in 1999. He became involved with bonsai in the 70s, starting classes at Rosade Bonsai Studio in 1978. 

Brant has served several positions in the Pennsylvania and MidAtlantic bonsai societies and is a member of the Bonsai Society of the Lehigh Valley, Second Sunday Study Group and Delaware Valley Bonsai Study Group. He has served as coordinator for the Delaware group and Bonsai Kaido Ken Shu Kai Study Group. 

Brant has also instructed children’s bonsai classes and presented programs on wintering and bonsai display. He received the 2002 Bonsai Clubs International Meritorious Service Award. 

He was honored and pleased to join the board after being asked to fill in for a departing member. Before the joint Secretary/Treasurer position was created this year, Brant served solely as the NBF treasurer and has been a board member since 2005. 

Brant said some of his most memorable moments from the last 15 years at NBF were the compilation and publishing of Bonsai Master John Naka’s sketchbook, which you can find on our website, and the renovation of the Japanese exhibit.

In his new position, Brant hopes to provide NBF with a continuity of service and contribute to the Board’s goals in as many ways possible. 

“My wife Linda and I have met some truly wonderful people, and traveled to some remarkable places to spread the fellowship of bonsai,” he said. “Bonsai – and, to a degree, NBF – is a hobby that has given my life meaning, serenity, fellowship, and learning all rolled into one.” 

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Here is our full 2020-21 Board of Directors. We can’t wait to see what this year will bring under the stewardship of these devoted individuals!

OFFICERS

• James Hughes (‘22) - University Park, MD, Chair of the Board

• Daniel Angelucci (‘22) - Harrison Township, MI, Chair-Elect of the Board

• James Brant (‘22) - Royersford, Pennsylvania, Secretary/Treasurer

• Marybel Balendonck (’23) - Fullerton, California, Vice President

DIRECTORS

• Ross Campbell (‘23) – Silver Spring, MD

• Milton Chang, PhD (‘23) – Los Altos Hill, CA

• Christopher Cochrane ('22) – Glen Allen, Virginia

• Julie Crudele ('22) – Annapolis, Maryland

• Edward Fabian, ('21) – Niceville, Florida

• Joseph Gutierrez, MD, FACS ('21) – McLean, Virginia

• Karen Harkaway, MD (‘21) – Mount Holly, New Jersey

• Richard Kahn, PhD (‘22) – Alexandria, VA

• Cheryl Manning ('21) – Los Angeles, California

• Ann McClellan ('21) – Washington, DC

• Carl Morimoto, PhD (‘21) – San Jose, CA

• Pauline Muth ('21) – West Charlton, NY

• Doug Paul (‘21) – Kennett Square, PA

• Glenn Reusch (’21) – Rochelle, Virginia

• Deborah Rose, PhD (’22) – Beltsville, Maryland

• Stephen Voss ('21) – Washington, DC

EX-OFFICIO

• Charles Croft – President, Potomac Bonsai Association

• Mark Fields – President, American Bonsai Society

ICYMI: We profiled our recently retired board members! Reflect on their legacies with us here.