8th National Bonsai Exhibition Retrospective

By: Katlin Mulligan

Every other year, all the greatest bonsai artists in the Unites States gather in Rochester, New York to display some of the most amazing works bonsai enthusiasts can lay their eyes on. The 8th edition of this event happened the weekend of September 9-10, 2023. Hosted by the legendary owner of the International Bonsai Arboretum, William N. Valavanis is the premiere and one of the largest bonsai shows in the United States.

Starting early Saturday morning, hundreds of bonsai fans gather outside the convention center, itching to get into the show. The show features several hundred trees from all over the United States and Canada. (This year’s event had a special Canadian award category) Once guests enter, they are greeted by the special entry display designed and curated by one of the local bonsai club members for every show, creating a great photo opportunity. Visitors are then free to explore either the massive vendor section or go straight for the show displays.

The vendor section is expansive and features a great variety of pot makers, nursery stock, advanced developer stock, stands, books, supplies, tools, artwork, and more. If you are looking for it, you most likely will find it here! Several of our club members spied on some large specimens that ultimately decided their new home would be the Chicago area. Congratulations to our members who purchased some larger trees. They were all beautiful! Some of the most well-known vendors were also present: Sara Reiner pots, Bonsai by Mark Fields, Tom Phadrdel Pots, Stone Forest Pottery, and many more familiar faces. It was deﬁnitely a busy day for them all, and I hope they all did well over the weekend!

After perusing the vendors (and deﬁnitely emptying your wallet!), you can head into the demonstration area. This smaller area has many chairs set up and features several lectures and tree demonstrations by guest artists. The guest artists this year consisted of Hiramatsu Koji, Gerald Rainville, Corin Tomlinson, and Sean L. Smith.

You can then head to the main event: The beautiful tree displays. While walking the expansive tables, you may catch one of the guests doing a critique of some of the trees, notably Bjorn Bjorholm, Kora Dalager, Boon Manakitivipart, Sean Smith, Suthin Sukosolvisit, and David Easterbrook. Many trees qualiﬁed for several award categories, such as the All American Award or The National Award. Photos are not allowed, but perhaps sometimes one can sneak a photo of a tree one particularly likes. There are displays of huge, massive trees and an entire section of shohin. All of which are impressive. There was also a section of sekisui (water rock art) on display. There were also awards for best sekisui.

You can spend a few hours just perusing the trees and taking in the beauty. You can see other guests sketching the trees and fawning over their favorites. Congratulations to our club members, Larry Magee, Daniel Turner, and local artist Jeff Shultz, whose trees were accepted into the show and on display. An extra special congratulations to Daniel
Turner for winning an award. This is a great honor, and the club is very proud of him!!

After you have had your ﬁll of the main venue, you are free to visit the open house of William Valavanis to experience The International Bonsai Arboretum. This garden is in a suburb near the event and nested amongst regular housing! Once you arrive, you will ﬁnd many trees, pots, and other supplies for sale, as well as a library of great resource books available for purchase. There is also a wonderful garden display near the main entrance.

Once the main event winds down, it’s time for the auction and dinner party! The auction takes place at the end of the day, and there is an opportunity to purchase some great or rare (and strange) items for cheap or expensive. Some lucky people can walk away, scoring a great deal. Then, it is back to the event hotel for the big dinner party! Starting early with a social hour, it’s a great chance to meet one’s favorite bonsai artist, YouTuber, or special guests or make new friends from around the country.

Then, it is on to the main dinner and the awards ceremony. Speeches are made, and the winners of the well-deserved awards all get recognition. Again, it’s a great chance to meet someone new at your table or get up and walk around to meet some other guests and artists at the event.

Thanks to all the volunteers, hosts, and sponsors for making the event happen.

At the end of the event, you have the opportunity to win the demo tree in a special auction. After that, it is time to bid farewell to all your friends and pack it up for the journey home. About a nine or ten-hour drive or a few hours’ ﬂight from Chicago, it’s not the worst trip. There are several attractions en route by Buffalo worth checking out by car.

This includes the Martin House by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Naval Museum in Buffalo, and the Graycliff House by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The event was a great experience and success, and it is highly recommended that bonsai artists, fans, and hobbyists check it out at some point.

RELATED VIDEOS TO CHECK OUT FROM THE SHOW!

Bill Valvavanis (organizer of the US National Show) shows Corin Tomlinson his Garden:

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