The American Elm

Prior to the pandemic, filmmaker Ben Kirkland spent many hours documenting a bonsai styling session with Arthur Joura. No public audience, just a couple of artists figuring out how to capture a creative process involving power tools and some very distinctive plant material ready to become a bonsai. Joura told the elm’s definitive story in his most recent Curator’s Journal entry. Kirkland’s completed video version of the story — The American Elm: A Naturalistic Legacy — made its debut recently on his popular YouTube channel Appalachian Bonsai and was met with wide acclaim and admiration.

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