The National Bonsai Foundation Announces Retirement of Dr. Johann F Klodzen

Dr. Klodzen to step down after nearly 20 years as Executive Director

Johann Klodzen at the U.S. National Arboretum (2020)

As of February 1st, 2020, Johann Klodzen will step down from her role as Executive Director of The National Bonsai Foundation (“NBF”). All of NBF’s officers and members of its Board of Directors are sincerely grateful to Johann for her nearly 20 years of service guiding NBF’s work in support of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum (the “USNA”).

During her tenure at NBF, Johann collaborated closely with several Directors of the USNA, most recently Dr. Richard Olsen; supervised NBF’s involvement in numerous projects at the Museum, including the complete rebuilding of The Japanese Pavilion and most recently the development of a master plan for the future renovation of the rest of the Museum; oversaw NBF’s efforts to give NBF and the Museum a significant online presence; oversaw the inauguration and publication of NBF’s Annual Report in 2016, which received several awards for design; and worked tirelessly to give the Museum an increased recognition in the United States and across the world of bonsai enthusiasts. Her passion for and knowledge of the artform was infectious to all of those who had the privilege to work alongside her. Though she is leaving the position, we know Johann will continue to be a part of our bonsai family.

While we conduct a search for a new Executive Director, we are delighted to announce that Bobbie Alexander will step into the role as Interim Director of Administration. Bobbie has served as Chief of Staff and Managing Director of Governance for the American Diabetes Association, as a Senior Administrative Consultant for The Food Allergy Research & Education Association and most recently as Chief of Staff and Operations for the National Health Council. We are confident that during this transition period, we are in very good hands.

Though we begin 2020 on a note of bidding farewell to our esteemed colleague, there is much to look forward to in the new decade ahead. Our next Executive Director will be tasked with the exciting planned renovations of the Museum, overseeing NBF’s efforts to make that project a reality, thereby ensuring the continuation of NBF’s mission of preserving a history, protecting a legacy, and preparing a future.

Historical Tree Spotlight: Coast Redwood

The Chambers’ Christmas Card, 1980. The message inside the card reads: “Whether giant or bonsai, the roots of the redwood spread and intertwine to anchor the majestic evidence that God intended, similarly do the roots of Christmas support our faith that man, too, can stand tall. Have a very Merry Christmas, June and Bob Chambers.”

“All I want for Christmas is a bonsai tree” is probably what June Chambers was singing in 1949. She got her wish – and that gift prompted a long life devoted to learning about and caring for bonsai. Chambers developed a beautiful collection, and since then she’s been sending Christmas cards with a different bonsai on the front each year.

One particular Christmas card stands out: the one with a beautiful redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens, on the front. 

Peter Sugawara, a bonsai practitioner who owned Monte Bello Nursery in California, started training this coast redwood from a seedling in 1954. Chambers bought the tree from him in 1972, and Sugawara spent years visiting her yard to help her train the tree. Chambers donated the redwood to our Museum in 1990, and volunteers and curators have been caring for the tree in the North American Pavilion ever since.

“It’s interesting that Sequoia sempervirens is the tallest living thing in the world and the oldest one known of in the Redwood National Park is more than 1,000 years old,” National Bonsai & Pening Museum Curator Michael James said. “It’s likely that this is the smallest redwood that anyone will ever see.”

Caring for the coast redwood

James said the redwood produces shoots with two lateral rows of small needles that can be pinched to ensure the growth doesn’t elongate too much.

Trees in this species develop clustered, vegetative buds at the junction of branches throughout the growing season, he said. If left alone, the clusters will form a whorl, meaning more than two shoots grow from one location. But James said you can prevent that phenomenon from happening on a redwood if you regularly rub off additional buds with a finger or a pair of tweezers, allowing only two shoots or buds to remain at each branch division.

 “If those shoots and vegetative buds are not selected down to only two from every location, then bulbus accumulations of callous cells start to form, which leads to an undesirable inverse taper of the trunk or branches,” James said. 

Photographing Bonsai with Stephen Voss: A Winter’s Visit

As a photographer who now makes a living snapping pictures of some of the world’s most influential figures, Stephen Voss didn’t always know that photography could be more than a hobby.  Once a bonsai novice, he certainly didn’t think he would publish a photography book of bonsai.

Now that he’s an accomplished photographer, Voss wants to share his “tricks of the bonsai photography trade.” This entry is part of his regular guest blog series, “Photographing Bonsai with Stephen Voss"," published on NBF’s blog, covering everything from lighting, angles and mindset needed when photographing the trees. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to never miss one of his entries! Read his last entry here.

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Washington, D.C. has resisted giving itself over to winter this year, with 70 degree days and only a handful of nights below freezing. On one of these warm January days, I visited the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum to photograph the trees in the winter light.

While the trees are the main attraction, the Museum grounds are not to be overlooked. The cryptomeria-lined entrance gives you the sense of moving from one world to another, emerging through the main gates to the courtyard where a single tree can be seen.

Stephen Voss

To find the majority of the trees, you must walk through the Chinese Pavilion, in which the trees spend the colder months. The open air building boasts a roof of translucent glass, which keeps the pavilion a few degrees warmer than outside. But more importantly, this glass is the key to creating some of the most beautiful light the Museum sees all year. The low-angled winter sunbeams scatter and soften as they pass through the panes but somehow still retain a certain crispness as they fall upon the resting trees.

The trees are often just inches apart from each other, allowing for one to observe the collection as a miniature bonsai forest – a remix of the typical presentation that gives each tree its own space. In these tight configurations, there are photographs to be made exploring the relationships between the trees.

Stephen Voss

There are signs of life to be found in the pavilion even a third of the way through winter. Camellias are bursting with blooms and the Chinese quince’s jewel-like green buds erupt skyward. Winter light in the Chinese Pavilion never comes from straight above, but shines from hard angles, reflecting the shortened daylight hours.

Stephen Voss

The Toringo Crab Apple, in training since 1905 and one of my favorite trees, still bears some small yellow fruit that faintly sways in the breeze from the circulating fan.

Winter is a season of rest and stillness, and I don’t think there’s a better time of year to visit the Museum. Over the year and a half that I was photographing my book – In Training, A Book of Bonsai Photos – the majority of the photographs were produced from the two winters I spent there. The bare deciduous trees become abstract forms, and it’s at these times that the invisible hands of the bonsai master’s work are most clearly seen. 

Museum to Hold First Origami Class with Jeff Raab

“Origami is an incredibly natural fit alongside the bonsai work, because they both rely on the essence of nature to create a beautiful art form.”

— Jeff Raab, Origami Instructor

When thinking of ancient arts, where does your mind first wander? Perhaps you think of tai chi or even bonsai training – but what about origami? According to the Public Broadcasting Service, the folding art became popular in China around 105 A.D., but  soon made its way to Japan and eventually the rest of the globe.

We spoke with Jeff Raab, a professional origamist who will be leading the Museum’s first-ever origami class, Origami & Bonsai: Ancient Arts Collide, happening at the Museum Jan. 18. (You can sign up here). Raab told us about how a beginner’s origami book he was gifted as a child became a lifelong passion. 

“Every kid has their thing, trains or dinosaurs – my thing was animals,” Raab said.

Unlike some childhood hobbies that fade with time, Raab found solace in origami again as a young adult while pursuing an acting career in New York. For about five years now, he has worked with Taro’s Origami Studio, teaching folding workshops and delving deeper into the complex models.

“I’d only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of what origami was, and there was so much more I wasn’t aware of,” he said. “Origami is this vast unending realm of possibility. If you can think of it, somebody’s probably come up with an origami version of it.”

Raab teaches folding to young origamists at Taro’s Origami Studio.

Raab said origami now provides him with a much needed break from a chaotic New York day, instead of just acting as a way to pass the time.   

“I love that it’s meditative,” he said. “You’re always engaged with it, but it’s not rushed. You’re patient with it.”

How the ancient arts collide

Both origami and bonsai have been practiced for hundreds of years, and the versatile art forms complement each other with their creativity and precision, Raab said.

“They’re both meditative and engaging,” he said. 

Raab said the atmosphere and organic beauty at The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum presents an amazing location for his upcoming origami class. 

“Origami is an incredibly natural fit alongside the bonsai work, because they both rely on the essence of nature to create a beautiful art form,” he said. 

Vulture and eagle origami

What to expect at Raab’s session

Raab wants to ensure that he introduces the art form in depth, rather than simply presenting a few entertaining models. 

“I want to offer some of the underlying concepts around origami so that the class is not just about how to fold three or four things but rather provides some ideas people can expand upon,” he said. 

Participants will learn different bases and models, and anyone from a novice origamist to a seasoned folder is welcome.

“I’m treating this as a total beginner, no experience needed, never done it before introduction to origami,” Raab said. “I’m anticipating starting from – no pun intended – square one.”

To get your start in the origami world, or to brush up on your folding techniques, sign up for Origami & Bonsai: Ancient Arts Collide held Saturday, Jan. 18!

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A few spots remain for Saturday’s children-family Origami & Bonsai workshop. Learn more and register here.

Learn more about our friends at National Symphony Orchestra and their origami crane project here.

Hiring: First Curator's Apprentice

The first Curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was Robert Drechsler who served in that position from the founding of the Museum in 1976 until 1998.  In 2011, during the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Museum, an internship for the Museum was established by the National Bonsai Foundation to honor Mr. Drechsler for his many years of service. It was called the First Curator’s Apprenticeship.

The purpose of the apprenticeship is to educate and train a new generation of American bonsai artists. It is sponsored by Toyota North America and the Hill Foundation.

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2020 First Curator’s Apprentice.

Historical Tree Spotlight: The Museum’s First Tree

Nobusuke Kishi, former president of the Nippon Bonsai Association, hands the list of the 53 bonsai gifts to U.S. Ambassador James Hodgson at a ceremony in Tokyo, Japan. The tree on the left is the first Japanese black pine donated to the Museum.

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was created after the United States received a wonderful bicentennial gift of 53 bonsai from Japan in 1976. For this month’s historical tree spotlight, we wanted to highlight the first tree on the list of gifted bonsai: a black pine donated by Saichi Suzuki.

A symbolic facet to the Nippon Bonsai Association’s gift, the pine is believed to have been about 200 years old – the same age as the United States when the gift was given. While Japanese black pines can now be found growing all over the world, the species is native to Japan. 

Museum curator Michael James said the tree embodies “yamadori,” the practice of digging a tree from the wild and putting it into a container. Saichi Suzuki, the tree’s donor, collected and began training the pine in a bonsai pot in 1895. According to James,  the tree is estimated to have been about 125 years old when Suzuki removed it from Atsumi Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

Suzuki later founded Daiju-en, a very famous bonsai nursery in Japan (at which former Museum curator and current NBF board member Jack Sustic once studied). Daiju-en is famous for cultivating Japanese black pines, and Suzuki is often credited with being the first to discover the black pine decandling technique – a process completed in the summertime after a pine’s candle, or shoot tip, lengthens.  

Suzuki stumbled on that process by accident after witnessing a caterpillar eat the tips off a black pine. While usually thought to be a disaster, Suzuki saw that the insect’s munching actually produced a second growth of shoots with smaller needles than the first growth. This discovery was important because Japanese black pine needles tend to be fairly long for bonsai culture, at least compared to a white pine.

“We are always trying to reduce the size of leaves to make the trees look bigger,” James said. “That serendipitous caterpillar feast made him realize black pines can be decandled and put on a second flush of growth that is even smaller, more compact, better looking and proportional to a bonsai tree.”

James said Suzuki began experimenting with the decandling practice on his own and perfected the decandling technique that is now widespread in bonsai culture. 

“Decandling pines is critical for having well-maintained trees,” he said. 

Now in the Japanese Pavilion, the inaugural Japanese black pine is about 245 years old. Stop by our collection to see the tree that helped to launch our Museum. 

Hiring: P/T Communications & Social Media Intern (Paid)

The National Bonsai Foundation is seeking a part-time communications and social media intern to maintain and expand its online presence with the goal of recruiting donors and visitors to The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. NBF is the non-profit supporting branch of the Museum, located at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

The Museum began in 1976 when Japanese bonsai enthusiasts from the Nippon Bonsai Association donated 53 bonsai to the United States to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial. More than 150 trees are now on display in the Museum's Pavilions, Tropical Conservatory, Special Exhibitions Wing and courtyard. Under the leadership of curator Michael James, the Museum is training the next generation of bonsai experts who have gone on to lead institutions in major U.S. cities.

The intern will be responsible for managing NBF’s social media accounts, assisting in event planning and promoting NBF and the Museum. They will work with our communications and executive team on social media strategy and will be expected and encouraged to implement their own ideas. The intern will be expected to commit to 15-20 remote hours per month, plus regular visits to the Museum. Applicants must be based in the D.C. area.

This is a paid position.

Responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:

• Writing content for our website and social media pages by documenting and attending Museum events, interviewing notable figures in the bonsai world and capturing “behind-the-scenes" experiences at the Museum

• Creating and distributing a monthly/twice-monthly email newsletter, with occasional additional messages to promote special events or fundraising campaigns

• Posting on and tracking analytics for our social media pages

• Monthly marketing strategy phone calls with NBF members and communications leaders

The ideal applicant will have:

• Extensive experience using social media for personal use and on behalf of a non-profit organization, like a museum

• Strong writing skills

• Familiarity with Squarespace, MailChimp, Eventbrite, Facebook Live, YouTube and social media apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

• An interest in bonsai, horticulture, Japanese culture, public gardens and the Washington, D.C. museum scene

• Photo editing skills and graphic design skills

• Excellent time management capabilities

Application requirements:

• Resume

• Cover letter

• Links to portfolio or relevant work

• Contact information for 1-3 reference(s)

• Please send all items to aanapol@bonsai-nbf.org.

A Year in Review: The National Bonsai Foundation's 2019 Achievements

Each year NBF strives to engage the community with the world of bonsai through our programming, partnerships and feature articles. Take a look back at the highlights of 2019, which were made possible through your generous support.

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Event Highlights

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World Bonsai Day 

Bonsai expert Michael Hagedorn traveled from Portland, Oregon to give pruning demonstrations and lectures and sign his book, “Post-Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk.” Read more. 

Award in a Local Publication

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum was voted the "Best Place to Bring an Out-of-Towner" in Washington City Paper's Best of D.C. competition – our second, consecutive time winning this award! Read more.

National Symphony Orchestra Concert

A string quartet from NSO played a wonderful concert among our collection for the first time to kick off the summer. Read more. 

Official Sister Museum Partnership

Our Museum officially became a Sister Museum to the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Saitama, Japan. Read more. 

Local News Feature

John Kelly of The Washington Post attended one of Master Nick Gracenin's Tai Chi classes at the Museum this fall and wrote all about it in his column! Read more. 

Nick Lenz Exhibit 

Eccentric bonsai artist Nick Lenz's once-in-a-lifetime display featured ceramics and bonsai in a spooky, thought-provoking temporary collection. Read more.

National Geographic Print Feature

Photographer Rebecca Hale visited our Museum to snap shots of curator Michael James' bonsai tools for National Geographic's Tool Kit Series! The series will be in print soon. 

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Program Spotlights

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Tai Chi Amongst the Bonsai

Master Nick Gracenin of D.C. Tai Chi "grace-fully" led tai chi classes throughout the year. 

Forest Bathing Amongst the Bonsai

Nature therapy guide Melanie Choukas-Bradley helped participants discover the power of nature on trips through our trees.

Yoga Amongst the Bonsai

Class participants followed certified yoga instructor Alexa Tovsen's calm, relaxing voice at various yoga sessions.  

Drawing From Bonsai

A great group of budding artists learned all about capturing the different shades and shapes of bonsai under nature artist Tina Thieme Brown. 

Mindfulness Amongst the Bonsai

Mindfulness-seekers found their center at Linda Naini's meditation sessions among our collections.

Children's Workshop

Kids learned about different tree types, animal habitats and bonsai history under the instruction of Museum curator Michael James. 

Species Spotlight: Japanese Black Pines (Pinus thunbergii)

Enjoy this new blog column, Species Spotlight, from our First Curator’s Assistant, Andy Bello. Be sure to check out more from Andy on our blog with his Historical Tree Spotlights.

Japanese Black Pines growing on rocks in a coastal environment (https://www.chushikokuandtokyo.org/spot_52/)

Japanese black pines (P. thunbergii) are native to the coastal areas of Japan and South Korea, from sea level to about 3,000 feet of elevation. The trees prefer warm moist climates, where they rarely suffer frost. In Japan, the pine has been highly valued for centuries as an ornamental feature in Japanese-style gardens and for bonsai. Japanese black pines are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Zone 6, but the trees can be kept in colder conditions if proper winter protection is provided.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum is a wonderful location to experience Japanese black pines as bonsai and penjing. This species is widely used across the world as artistically-trained potted trees, and the many different shapes these trees take are influenced by cultural and personal experiences. Here we will examine and discuss three Japanese black pines that are on display in the Japanese, North American and Chinese collections.

This first Japanese black pine, displayed in the Japanese Pavilion, was part of the original Bicentennial gift to the American people in 1976.  Donated by Goro Ito and in training since 1906, this tree was collected from the wild on the Atsumi Peninsula, located in the Aichi Prefecture. The pine is a beautiful representation of the coastal environment of its origin, mixed with the traditional Japanese bonsai form. Coastal trees tend to flaunt wider upper canopies than trees growing in alpine environments where snow accumulation on branches creates a more narrow, conical form.  

This bonsai’s curved trunk suggests an aged tree that has survived strong coastal winds and typhoons. The asymmetrical triangular form of the foliage mass demonstrates the traditional Japanese bonsai style.

The next Japanese black pine is located in the North American Collection and was donated by George Yamaguchi in 1990. Yamaguchi grew this tree from a seed and has been training the pine since 1955. It is styled as a formal upright bonsai and is known by the name “Shinsei,” meaning “Voice of the Gods.” To me, this tree represents a lone pine growing in a meadow at higher elevation. The strong and numerous branches lower on the trunk indicates that the tree had little to no competition from other trees, in contrast to a pine growing in a forest where lower branches are lost due to lack of light. The overall conical shape of the branches suggests a tree subjected to snowfall at higher elevations.  

This particular tree is a great example of the influence of Japanese bonsai style in North America. The lower right branch establishes the tree’s asymmetrical form, and the foliage pads on each branch are distinctly separated. North American bonsai, very similar to North American culture, are extremely diverse. Thanks to this diversity, there is no right or wrong way to represent the form of a tree in miniature. 

Dr. Yee-sun Wu donated this Japanese black pine, now part of the Chinese Collection, in 1986. The pine has been in training since 1936, but the tree’s origin is unknown. This tree’s style differs greatly from our previously discussed trees. The dramatic movement in the trunk line guides the viewer's eyes up into the foliage mass. The long primary branch, a feature of the “Lingnan” style of penjing common in Southern China, extends dramatically to the right, presenting a strong sense of movement. Penjing, especially in the case of this tree, tend to be more whimsical in their form than Japanese bonsai. The foliage pads are still present but typically are not as “clean cut” as foliage pads on Japanese bonsai. 

Penjing can take many forms other than simply a miniature tree – the trees can be shaped into animal forms, cylygrophy, landscapes and more. For more on penjing, read our interview with bonsai master Qingquan Zhao. 

Special Message for Donors Older Than 70:

If you are age 70½ or older, please consider donating to NBF through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD).

IRS rules require you to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts. This additional taxable income may push you into a higher tax bracket and may also reduce your eligibility for certain tax credits and deductions.  A QCD, however, may eliminate or reduce the impact of RMD income.

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from an IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity such as NBF. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year, up to $100,000, and can also be excluded from your taxable income. This is not the case with a regular withdrawal from an IRA, even if you use the money to make a charitable contribution later on. In this scenario, the funds would be counted as taxable income even if you later offset that income with the charitable contribution deduction.

 Why is this distinction important? If you take the RMD as income, instead of as a QCD, your RMD will count as taxable income. Having higher taxable income can directly impact your eligibility for certain deductions and credits. For example, your taxable income helps determine the amount of your Social Security benefits that are subject to taxes. Keeping your taxable income level lower may also help reduce your potential exposure to the Medicare surtax.

Or, send check to:

National Bonsai Foundation
3501 New York Avenue N.E.
Washington D.C. 20002

THANK YOU!

Learn more about donating to the National Bonsai Foundation here.