The Morton Arboretum

Explore the diverse cultures of Asia through music, dance, food, and more. Join us for a fun-filled weekend that will transport you across the globe. Our bonsai exhibition will include more than fifty trees, both from the club and from non-club members. As you wander around Meadow Lake, you will experience diverse cultural performances, demonstrations, various shopping and art vendors, and local food trucks.

This event attracts new members to our club, allows members to gather and interact with festival attendees, and teaches them the art of bonsai.

PSBS is proud to be in the Sycamore Room again to host our Annual PSBS Bonsai Exhibition.  Our Bonsai Exhibition is where our club members show the trees they have spent so much time on.  There will also be several “trees in training” tables where our new members can show their work, and others can display attractive trees in progress.  Please consider bringing as many of your trees as possible.  As PSBS members, you are allowed up to three display trees for judging, but unlimited “trees in training.”

Guest Artist

The Guest Artist for the 2025 Destination Asia Festival Bonsai Show is James Keith. Jim is a longtime member and past president of Prairie State Bonsai Society. His Bonsai Artist Statement is as follows:

My bonsai journey began thirty years ago when a neighbor moved into the house behind mine. I saw he had bonsai trees, and I asked him if he could teach me. He agreed, and together we would work on trees in his backyard while having a beer, telling stories, and smoking an occasional cigar. Those were great memories. The lessons I learned from my friend led to a passion for the art of bonsai that I have been practicing ever since.
The art of bonsai provides me with a meditative connection to nature. It’s the contemplation of the design and future I see for the tree before I begin the styling process. Developing a vision for it as a piece of living art is what excites me as a bonsai artist.

I apply the principles of artistic design. Carefully considering concepts such as line, form, shape, color, texture, movement, positive and negative space, and asymmetry, with an eye towards creating a harmonious and captivating piece of art.

My goal is to evoke an emotional response in viewers of my art. I want them to be drawn into my art with a sense of wonder and imagination. To recognize the story that the tree would be telling of its journey if it were a tree growing in the wild. To experience the beauty, the ephemeral and transitory nature of life that is the art
of bonsai.

Workshops

All workshops will be presented at Morton Arboretum’s Thornhill Education Center on the west side of the park. Further information may be viewed at The Morton Arboretum website under Adult Programs at

Workshop information and registration

Members of Prairie State Bonsai Society can receive a $10 discount on any workshop by registering by telephone at 630-719-2468. Members of the Arboretum can register online.

Workshops include:

Introduction to Bonsai Workshop: Chinese Elm
Saturday, August 2 nd from 9:00 AM to Noon
Taught by Linda Camp and assisted by Badar Zulqarni
Cost for members $105, Non-members $115

Introduction to Bonsai Workshop: Green Gem Ficus
Saturday, August 2 nd from 9:00 AM to Noon
Taught by Phil Malhiot and assisted by Katlin Mulligan
Cost for members $100, Non-members $110

Introduction to Bonsai Workshop: Brazilian Rain Tree
Saturday, August 2 nd from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Taught by Linda Camp and assisted by Nick DiBattista
Cost for members $119, Non-members $129

Guest Artist Bonsai Workshop: Dwarf Mugo Pine
Saturday, August 2 nd from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Taught by Guest Artist Jim Keith
Cost for members $115, Non-members $125

Introduction to Bonsai Workshop: Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Sunday, August 3rd from 9:00 AM to Noon
Taught by Jim Beck and assisted by Badar Zulqarni
Cost for members $93, Non-members $103

Guest Artist Bonsai Workshop: Dawn Redwood
Sunday, August 3rd from 9:00 AM to Noon
Taught by Guest Artist Jim Keith
Cost for members $85, Non-members $95

Guest Artist Bonsai Workshop: Bring Your Own Tree
Sunday, August 3rd from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Taught by Guest Artist Jim Keith
Cost for members $60, Non-members $70

Kids’ Bonsai Workshop: Dwarf Japanese Garden Juniper
Sunday, August 3rd from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Taught by Larry Magee and assisted by Matt Mazza
Cost for members $80, Non-members $90
Kids must be ages of 8 to 16 and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian

Free Demonstrations

All demonstrations will be presented in The Morton Arboretum Courtyard across from the Sycamore Room. Each styled demo tree will be offered as part of the raffle at PSBS monthly meetings later in 2025 or early 2026.

Hinoki Cypress presented by Guest Artist Jim Keith
Saturday, August 2 nd at 10:00 AM

Japanese Maple presented by Matt Mazza
Saturday, August 2 nd at 2:30 PM

Yew presented by Larry Magee
Sunday, August 3rd at 10:00 AM

Juniper presented by Phil Malhiot
Sunday, August 3rd at 2:30 PM

Club Members Only

Exhibition Tree Judging Criteria

CLICK HERE