PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

By Cecily Chang

 

     Watching a video recorded two decades ago featuring Ikenobo’s forty-fifth Generation Headmaster, Sen’ei Ikenobo, at an Ikenobo seminar in Taipei City, Taiwan, sitting in the wilderness, concentrating and listening to the sounds of nature while showing us the sensibility of the changing seasons, I noticed that Ikebana is just like meditating. Through it, you communicate with flowers by heart.

     While climbing up the Chief in Squamish, I saw trees standing still at the top of the mountain despite the harsh weather. There are three peaks, and to get to them the trails were sometimes narrow. The beauty of nature was stunning! Ikebana is to show the spirit and vitality of plants.

     On one Saturday night out, I was enjoying opera singing and jazz at the lounge at Canada Place. There, Ikebana is like music flowing.

     Sometimes Ikebana may just be a poem.

     In May, the VIA was invited to do the Ikebana at the opening ceremony of the Japanese Garden of Vancouver City Hall. Ikenobo, Sogetsu, Kado-Sumi and Sangetsu schools all participated and did a great job. It surprised the guests!

     On July 14^th, I was invited to the Vancouver Convention Center for a morning reception to greet the Emperor and Empress of Japan. When I shook hands with the Empress and mentioned to her the Vancouver Ikebana Association, she smiled with an air of elegance. In the meantime, Mrs. Boycott, and a team of Sogetsu members made a large Ikebana arrangement at the Richmond Oval, as well as Mrs. Sumida’s smaller Ikenobo arrangements,  to welcome the Emperor and Empress to Vancouver.

     The Powell Street Festival has always been a Japanese tradition every summer. This year the venue moved from Oppenheimer Park to Commercial Drive for the festival, which took place August 1-2. Thanks to Martha Banno, Mrs. Sumi, Kaz Takahashi, Joan Fairs and Greta Kos for their support and contribution in making the ikebana display possible.

     Through these activities and shows, people learn to appreciate Ikebana, more not only for the plants’ striving strength, but for the poetics, lyricism and meditation an arrangement brings.

     Now that summer is winding down, we are resuming our schedule of various activities – just like students going back to school – with the early mum show and late mum show at VanDusen Garden and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden show. Later, we will celebrate with a Christmas party at Inga Uhlemann’s house (Ikenobo School). Please look at the event calendar and join the VIA family.

     The 2010 Annual General Meeting will take place in Nikkei Center on January 30, 2010, and Joan Fairs of Sangetsu School will be taking over the presidency of the VIA. I will take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over these two years. Without your kind assistance and warm support, I couldn’t have managed it all by myself. Thank you for walking along with me. I appreciate it very much!

~ Cecily Chang, President, VIA

 

 

SPRING SHOW 2009

By Greta Kos

  The VIA Spring Show took place at the Oakridge Auditorium again this year and though not a huge success financially, it was a success in every other way. The show was opened by Mr. and Mrs. Otsuka, the Consul General of Japan, and Mr. and Mrs. Chou, Director General of the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office.

     The show was well attended and visitors saw arrangements by four participating Ikebana schools – Ikenobo, Kado-Sumi, Sangetsu and Sogetsu.

     As was to be expected, the arrangements overall were very different but all nonetheless were outstanding, and it was wonderful to see familiar materials being arranged in such unique and interesting ways.

     Another successful element of the show was that a number of wonderful arrangements were done by relatively new members and a number of these members were also instrumental in the organization of the show, such as Jennifer Gardy who designed the beautiful poster which incorporated a floral design by Meighan Makarchuk, who was also instrumental in assisting with the PR for the show.  Also, many thanks to all who contributed refreshments for the opening.

      Demonstrations were done by Annie Santini, Joan Fairs, Kaz Takahashi, Martha Banno, Sachiko Sumida, Barbara James and Cecily Chang and all were received very well by the audience.

     The attendees this year who won the draws were fortunate enough to receive Ikebana containers that were donated from the estate of Pauline Miller.

     The Spring Show is a wonderful tradition which will hopefully continue for many years to come. 

 New Executive Members Needed

For the upcoming 2010-2011 meetings, we are in need of a new secretary and a Second Vice President.  Won't you consider helping our association continue bringing the beauty of Ikebana to the public?  Nancy Garrett who has been diligently  holding the post of secretary has unfortunately resigned, and Kaz Takahashi who has been Second Vice, is moving up to the position of Vice President in January.  Please consider stepping "up to the plate"!

 

 

Dear Teachers,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer.

This letter is to relay a decision that was made at the last VIA meeting regarding the Spring Show.

There were many complimentary comments made, however there is a desire to know which of the arrangements was made by a VIA teacher. Members agreed that the card with the active teacher’s name will be specially identified.

We look forward to a busy year ahead with the Early Chrysanthemum Show in September. Meanwhile enjoy the rest of this unusual summer.

Yours in the friendship of flowers,

Nancy Garrett

 

                                                                                

 

RHODODENDRON FESTIVAL

By Joan Fairs

     On Sunday, May 3 the annual Rhododendron Festival was held at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby.  Many horticultural displays and flower-related themes were showcased.  Cecily Chang and Joan Fairs had an ikebana display and informal demonstration throughout the day.  Many people stopped by to watch the creation of the arrangements, and to remark on how simple but effective and beautiful they were.

 

Joan and Cecily at the Festival.

 

 

AIKIDO IKEBANA WORKSHOP

By Barbara James and Kaz Takahashi

 

     When the Aikido group on the North Shore invited Kaz and me to do a workshop for them, we were somewhat apprehensive as there were to be 18 students aged 6 to 12, and the time was to be 1&1/2 hours after lunch during the hottest week of the year.  We feared that the attention span of a six year old in that heat would be a challenge.  So, we both looked into our Qi Kong backgrounds and had some animal exercises  prepared.  We also invented a very basic cooperative game with a couple sets of Hana Fuda cards.

     Our introduction and history of Ikebana was shortened to two or three minutes, followed by a demonstration of a very simple arrangement.  Then we handed out the dangerous shears, and the youngsters started to work. Fortunately there were lots of adult helpers, and no one got cut!  Everyone created an arrangement that somewhat resembled the demonstrated one, but they all seemed happy with the result.  Then we went to the Qi Kong and became bears, monkeys and swimming dragons.    We finished up with the Hana Fuda game which they all really liked.  Then suddenly it was 3:00 pm and we had all enjoyed a pleasant afternoon where 18 children learned a little about the art of Ikebana that we hope they will remember.

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING GUEST SPEAKER ANNOUNCED

 

     For the 2010 Annual General Meeting, to be held January 30 at the Nikkei Centre at 1:30pm, the VIA is honoured to welcome guest speaker Steve Whysall, gardening columnist from the Vancouver Sun. Steve will be creating a special presentation for VIA members, entitled “The Cut Flower Garden, Coming to an Arrangement with Beautiful Blooms”.

     Steve Whysall has written a weekly column for The Sun for more than a decade, along with two other features, Flowering Now and The Minute Read. He has also authored three books - 100 Best Plants for the Coastal Garden, The Blooming Great Gardening Book, and 100 Best Plants for Ontario Gardens. Steve and his wife Loraine live in Burnaby, where, he says, they tend an English-style garden composed predominately of herbaceous perennials.

     Please mark your calendars for what is certain to be a fascinating talk from an excellent speaker.

 

 

IKEBANA AT CITY HALL

By Joan Fairs

     A Japanese Garden was installed at Vancouver's City Hall to celebrate the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Canada. The building of the garden began in April of 2008 and symbolically showcases the link between the political, economic, and cultural aspects of both countries.

     Through the hard work of members of the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners Association and City staff, planting took place on Friday, March 13, 2009 and the official opening ceremony of the garden was scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2009.  The VIA was contacted with a request for four ikebana arrangements to be on display in the main reception hall where a light luncheon was enjoyed by about 120 invited guests following the ceremony.

     The opening ceremonies included music by the Vancouver Fire Fighters Band, Uzume Taiko, a lion dancer with accompanying musicians, and of course speeches by Mayor Gregor Robertson and Consul General Otsuka, as well as by Mr. Kaz Takahara, president of the Japanese Gardeners Association. The official opening was done by the unveiling of a large stone lantern donated by Yokohama, Vancouver’s sister city.  A red silk cloth attached to two long bamboo poles covered the lantern.  Mr. Robertson and Mr. Otsuka ceremonially uncovered the beautiful lantern to the applause of the audience.

     Charlene Imai, the city’s protocol officer who acted as our contact person, later sent us a message saying how pleased they were with our arrangements.  "We had so many positive comments on the beautiful displays.  Thank you so much for participating."

Hollis Ho (Sogetsu) with her arrangement at Vancouver City Hall

 

 Mrs. Sumi and Kaz Takahashi of Kado-Sumi made a low arrangement with hosta leaves and mums, Joan Fairs of Sangetsu made a two part arrangement with Japanese pine, dogwood and peonies, Martha Banno of Ikenobo made a traditional arrangement using tropical material, and Hollis Ho of Sogetsu made an impressive arrangement with massed calla lilies and camellia branches.

 

                                                                                                           

 

 

THE EMPEROR’S VISIT

By Jennifer Gardy

     The celebrations surrounding the 80^th anniversary of the relationship between Japan and Canada continued in July, with Emperor Akihito’s first visit to the province since 1953. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko arrived in BC from Ottawa on July 10^th, and their first official engagement was a visit to the Richmond Oval, the signature venue of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.  A number of dignitaries were present for the event, including Premier Gordon Campbell, VANOC President John Furlong, and many Canadian Olympians.

     All were greeted by a spectacular floor display created by Mrs. Boycott, Hollis Ho, Betty Tasaka, Greta Kos, Linda Achiam and Sonoko Harada who spent many hours assembling the arrangement, which remained up for four days and was enjoyed by many visitors. Mrs. Sumida also made several smaller Ikenobo arrangements. 

 

                                                                             

 

Several arrangements by VIA members were on display at this year’s Powell Street Festival.