Latest news with #C.V.StarrBonsaiMuseum
Time Out
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Celebrate 100 years of bonsai at Brooklyn Botanical Garden's beautiful new exhibition
This summer, it's all about big celebrations for little trees. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 's beloved bonsai collection turns 100—and the Garden is going all-out to honor one of the oldest and largest public bonsai displays outside Japan. From June 14 through October 19, the 'Bonsai 100' celebration will unfold with new exhibits, weekend tours, outdoor installations, workshops and even a bonsai-themed manga. 'Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been the proud caretaker of this remarkable bonsai collection for 100 years, fostering a practice that is equal parts horticulture, art, design and patience,' said Adrian Benepe, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 'We are excited to see even more of these miniature trees—true works of art—displayed this year, including outdoors amid full-sized trees for a stunning comparison.' The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum will showcase a rotating selection of these tiny marvels, including rarely seen specimens and the garden's smallest bonsai, while Magnolia Plaza will host seasonal outdoor displays. Among the headliners are a 500-year-old Rocky Mountain juniper, a Daimyo oak that cycles through four colors a year and a trident maple with roots dramatically hugging a rock. Inside the Conservatory Gallery, The Mountain, the Tree, and the Man by graphic novelist Misako Rocks! tells the story of a bonsai's life through playful manga-style panels. The exhibit also celebrates legendary curator Frank Okamura and includes a restored 1971 short film on his work. Weekend bonsai tours and live demos began on June 14, with monthly programming continuing through October. Fall workshops invite visitors to try their hand at the art form themselves. For those who prefer to admire with a drink in hand, Japanese-inspired fare awaits at Yellow Magnolia Café, along with a series of ticketed sake dinners in September. Shoppers can also head to Terrain for bonsai starter kits, planters and limited-edition totes featuring Okamura's illustrations. The celebration opened this weekend with expanded exhibits, live music and guided tours and all activities are free with Garden admission unless otherwise noted. Whether you're a seasoned collector or just bonsai-curious, this is the year to go small in a big way.
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Bonsai Collection Turns 100
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is celebrating the 100th anniversary of their bonsai collection with a ... More special exhibit and events. Shown are bonsai within the garden's Magnolia Plaza. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden often gets attention for when their esplanade of cherry blossom trees are in bloom. However, the park is recognizing another tree species on its grounds this year - the bonsai. 2025 is marking the centenary of the BBG's bonsai collection. Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, and the BBG is said to have one of the oldest and largest collections on public display. From June 14 through October 19, the BBG will celebrate the collection with an expanded display of specimens, including never-before-displayed 'tiny trees' and an outdoor display of bonsai. The festivities will also extend to special tours, exhibits, workshops and other events. 'Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been the proud caretaker of this remarkable bonsai collection for 100 years, fostering a practice that is equal parts horticulture, art, design, and patience,' said Adrian Benepe, the garden's president. 'We are excited to see even more of these miniature trees—true works of art—displayed this year, including outdoors amid full-sized trees for a stunning comparison.' The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum is the location for the garden's longtime ... More bonsai collection. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The garden's bonsai collection was started in 1925 through a generous gift of trees and shrubs imported from Japan in 1911. It was donated by Ernest F. Coe, a Connecticut landscape designer and nurseryman. Three bonsai from this original donation remain. They are a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), a Daimyo oak (Quercus dentata) and a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora). Today, the Rocky Mountain Juniper is the oldest living bonsai in the BBG's collection. This Juniperus scopulorum is about 500 years old and features a full cascade style, meant to depict a tree hanging from the side of a cliff by the seashore or a stream. Overtime, the collection grew and diversified under the care of the BBG's first exclusive bonsai curator, Frank Masao Okamura. His 34-year tenure at the garden ran from 1947 to 1981. During his career, Okamura developed bonsai from unusual plants, including many tropicals and semitropicals. In the 1950s, the BBG launched the first of its renowned bonsai handbooks and began offering some of the first bonsai classes in the U.S. For 34 years, Frank Masao Okamura was the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's first exclusive bonsai curator, Today, the garden's bonsai collection is on view in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. As many as 30 specimens are on exhibit at any given time from the BBG's collection of almost 400 temperate and tropical bonsai. Some of the trees are well over a century old, with many still cultivated in their original containers. For the BBG's bonsai collection's 100th anniversary, this museum will have new interpretations highlighting it as well as bonsai techniques and tools. A selection of bonsai outdoors in a seasonal display will be shown on Magnolia Plaza. 'I change the display often and bring in flowering and fragrant trees as much as possible so that the visitor's experience is always fresh and exciting,' explained BBG's C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum gardener David Castro. 'We have so many bonsai and this is such a rare collection, it's easy to display something different.' Visitors at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden marvel at the garden's bonsai collection inside the C.V. ... More Starr Bonsai Museum. In the BBG's Conservatory Gallery, visitors can see The Mountain, the Tree, and the Man by graphic novelist Misako Rocks!. In this playful exhibit, a bonsai in the BBG's collection shares memories of its life in manga-style panels. Along the way, visitors will learn about Okamura and can watch a restored short film from 1971 featuring Okamura. From June through October, the garden will offer tours for visitors to learn about the collection and see bonsai gardening demonstrations. Tours will run every Saturday and Sunday in June starting June 14 and happening monthly from July through October. Continuing Education bonsai workshops will be offered this fall. Visitors will find Japanese-inspired dishes and drinks in the BBG's Yellow Magnolia Café and Canteen; a series of ticketed Sake Dinners will happen in September. Terrain at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is offering not only bonsai trees, planters and tools, but also new boxed sets of cards and tote bags featuring illustrations of bonsai by Okamura. On Saturday, June 14, visitors are invited to mark the 100th anniversary of this collection, join a tour and enjoy live music. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's website.
