ANNUAL EXHIBITIONS

Saturday, 2 December 2023

NOVEMBER MEETING

The final meeting of the Chapter for 2023 was held on the 14th November and attended by 29 members and two visitors. We were also pleased to welcome our patron Mrs Shimada, the wife of the Consul General of Japan.

The guest speaker was Dr Miriam Ford the President of the Australian Plants Society Victoria.

Dr Ford gave a highly informative presentation about Australian native plants and the specialist nurseries that grow them as well as some florists that stock them. She also recommended visiting the Cranbourne, Melton and Kawara (Kalorama) Botanical Gardens, as well as the Marilyn Sprague garden (Manangatan) and the Philip Johnson garden in (Olinda). The latter two being private gardens. Her presentation also covered vulnerable and endangered species.

The demonstration at the meeting...

...was given by Akemi Suzuki, a Sogetsu teacher, who made two arrangements using some Australian native materials.

The native material featured in her first ikebana was some branches of Eucalyptus. To these she added two exotic, pink Anthuriums.

Her second ikebana featured long branches of Geraldton Wax flower which comes from Western Australia. To this material she added a central focus of Peony buds.

Below are ikebana arrangements made by some members at the meeting.

Betty Karanikolopoulos

Chieko Yazaki

Emily Karanikolopoulos

Helen Marriot

Jenny Loo

Karen Thode

Lara Telford

Lucy Papas

Margaret Leung

Thea Sartori.

Sorry, Ikebanist not identified. (Ed.)

Tuesday, 10 October 2023

ANNUAL EXHIBITION 2023

This year's Annual Exhibition was held at the National Trust's Victorian period mansion, Labassa, in North Caulfield. Melbourne Chapter members contributed over forty ikebana works from the six Ikebana schools represented in Victoria.

Thursday 14th September was the bump-in day and the house was a hive of activity. On the following day the Exhibition was formally opened by Mr Shunsuke Saito, the Deputy Consul-General of Japan. Ms. Kate Drummond, the Operation Manager of National Trust expressed her pleasure at the beauty of the Ikebana which brought fresh flowers into the house. After the opening, volunteers from the National Trust offered morning tea to the exhibiting members of Ikebana International Melbourne Chapter and their guests.

The exhibition was open to the public on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th. Two sold-out, public demonstrations were given by Lucy Papas, from Sogetsu School, assisted by Emily Karanikolopoulos on the Sunday morning and afternoon.

Below are photos of ikebana in the Exhibition