At this juncture, it might be said that the tree has been given a new design. Such a statement is true only to the extent that the new design is understood to be in transition. The design idea is not locked in. In naturalistic bonsai, the design process is both incremental and collaborative. In naturalistic bonsai design the tree’s agency is recognized and respected; the tree is partner to the design process.
Read MoreIn writing this composition, as in writing many of the entries in the Curator's Journal, I am giving my remembered first-hand account of events in which I was an active participant. That makes me an eyewitness, although hardly an objective or unbiased one. But it is precisely because this particular story is so personal to me that for the past few years I have felt a growing desire, and even a need, to write it down.
Read MoreWhen the deliberations went on for months, I thought the Arboretum's hesitancy excessive. How much was there to think about? Say yes or say no, but make a decision so we can all move on. As the last few days of December passed and the deadline drew near and still no answer came, I began to feel pessimistic, like maybe an answer wasn’t going to come. No answer would be the same as saying no.
Read MoreWhen I first heard of Felton's proposed donation I immediately assumed he must have reached out to some of those former students of his that he claimed were financially well-off and ready to help out if he asked them to. This proved to be an incorrect assumption. The money was Felton's, from a bank account apparently no one knew he had.
Read MoreSomething in the old, traditional Japanese ways resonated with Felton and soon he was seeing nature through that lens. Bonsai captured his imagination in a visceral way. But he was also attracted to Japanese gardens and ikebana, and Japanese sumi paintings of nature, and Japanese haikus about nature. In fact, everything that might be construed as traditional Japanese appealed to Felton, whether it related directly to nature or not.
Read MoreLong before there was Christmas, long before there was Hanukkah, long before there was a recorded history of humankind, this time of year was of singular importance in the consciousness of our forebears living in the Northern Hemisphere.
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