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Curator's Corner
Julian Velasco, Curator of the Bonsai Collection and C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
Julian Velasco, curator of the bonsai collection and C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
Brooklyn Botanic Garden's extensive bonsai collection has long been considered one of the finest in the world. The collection's approximately 350 trees comprise the second oldest collection in the country and one of the largest on public display outside Japan, with as many as 30 specimens on exhibit at any given time. Cold-temperate trees form the core of the collection, which also includes indoor trees that are tropical, subtropical, Mediterranean, or warm-temperate in origin.
The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum displays the Garden's bonsai in a Japanese-style architectural setting. The Museum was most recently renovated in 2005 in order to enhance the experience of viewing dwarfed potted trees. Today, there is a stylized verandah complete with tokonoma, or alcove, that looks out onto the entire exhibit. Text panels introduce the history of bonsai and explain the plants' culture and care. In 2004, the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust provided a generous grant for the installation of new, custom-made shades.
The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum
The collection began in 1925 with 32 dwarf potted trees—a gift from Ernest F. Coe. Today, there are hardy as well as tropical indoor bonsai that are trained in classic styles, including windswept, slanted trunk, rock clinging, and forest. Some of the trees in the world-class collection are well over a century old, with many still cultivated in their original Japanese containers. One of the most remarkable specimens is the Japanese white pine that was brought from a mountainside in Japan more than 90 years ago. There are also younger bonsai beginning to grow into their iconic shapes.
No discussion of BBG's bonsai collection would be complete without acknowledging the work of Frank Okamura, the Garden's first bonsai master, who came to New York City as a gardener after his release from a wartime internment camp in California. Over the years, Mr. Okamura contributed enormously to the spread of Japanese cultural influences in America, especially the spread of bonsai knowledge. He worked at Brooklyn Botanic Garden from 1947 until 1981, and soon after his arrival at BBG began his influential artistry with the Garden's few bonsai trees, eventually becoming responsible for their care as they became part of a large and important collection.
This bonsai cherry tree blooms in April, just like its full-size relatives.
As reported in the 2006 New York Times obituary at the time of Mr. Okamura's death at age 94, "Mr. Okamura…taught the Botanic Garden's bonsai classes and lectured nationwide, instructing thousands of students in the art of creating bonsai. He wrote articles on the subject for the World Book Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Japan, a work in English published by the Japanese company Kodansha."
"Okamura was one of the three major teachers of bonsai in America," says Philip Tacktill, a former president of the Bonsai Society of Greater New York. "He taught that the art involves more than just physically arranging a tree; it demands spiritual involvement by the creator. A good bonsai reflects the person who made it." Emperor Hirohito awarded Mr. Okamura an Order of the Sacred Treasure medal in 1981 for his work in furthering knowledge of bonsai.
Today, the heart of the Bonsai Museum and the bonsai collection is bonsai curator Julian Velasco. Julian oversees the care and development of the more than 350 trees in the collection, as well as the curatorial duties for the Museum itself. Julian has been with the Garden since December of 2003. At that time he began a two-year apprenticeship with then bonsai curator Bob Mahler and, after Mahler left the Garden, Julian was appointed to the position of curator in the spring of 2006.
A larch, grown in formal upright style
Bonsai is considered by many to be the ultimate nexus of art and nature. Each tree is designed, developed, and sculpted in a distinct way to sensitize the visitor's imagination to a natural environment far beyond the Garden's gates. Julian's education and lifelong interest in photography, painting, sculpture, and nature foster the "spiritual involvement" that is so critical for bonsai cultivation. Bonsai enthusiasts and collectors recognize the distinctive artistic qualities of a true bonsai master, along with his personal, artful techniques. Each tree in BBG's collection is designed, developed, and sculpted in a distinct way to sensitize the visitor's imagination to a natural environment far beyond the Garden's gates.
Known for living well beyond the century mark, bonsai plants are remarkable for their history, legacy, and age, which are prized characteristics in bonsai cultivation. "Trees are never truly complete," says Julian. "They continue to evolve and follow a natural progression of aging. From the outset, bonsai artists look to design an old-looking tree, one that implies the passing of time and reflects its own appearance as it ages. I design trees so that I'll know what they'll look like in 10 or 20 years—and as the tree develops, so do I. I am constantly learning from the bonsai as I care for each specimen." Julian adds, "I learn not only about bonsai but about life, nature, and spirituality."
This trident maple offers a stunning example of root-over-rock style.
Before adjusting or developing the design of a tree, Julian spends time establishing a relationship with each specimen. "Every tree has a hidden inner story: a novel's worth of imagery and narrative. And the gift of the bonsai master is to be able to read that story, even if the tree is in a raw, un-styled state. One must resist the temptation to impose one's own will on the tree, and instead draw inspiration from the tree itself, and in this way begin to form a connection," he explains. "The stronger the connection between artist and tree, the more the artist can bring out in that particular tree."
A successful bonsai is designed so that visitors not only see the tree form or architecture, but also get a sense of the surrounding environment in which the tree might be found in nature. "A bonsai that grows in a dense forest would look very different than one perched on the edge of a cliff," Julian points out. "And when I design each individual tree, a primary goal I have is to communicate the spirit of that tree—and in this way to hopefully evoke the imagery of a special, natural environment."
To maintain these relationships and forecast the trees' development, Julian conducts a daily morning check of the entire collection, including watering, inspecting for pests, and assessing each specimen's overall health. Certain trees require specific maintenance like pinching buds, pruning needles, weeding, root pruning, and wiring the branches.
Museum visitors are fascinated by the miniature trees.
Considering BBG's nearly century-old legacy, it is not surprising that the bonsai collection is extraordinary for its historical value. Many of the bonsai specimens were brought to the Garden by American servicemen returning from posts in Japan after World War II. Today, many of the trees have a very high market value and would be nearly impossible to import.
When curating an exhibit in the Museum, Julian considers the perspective of the entire museum space. "The room itself is a piece of art, and a good exhibit has a flow and rhythm to it that compels the visitor to take in all of the display." Like any artist, Julian has many sources of inspiration, and he often uses the Garden and its other plant collections to inform his designs and the look of the exhibits.
Some of his favorite moments as curator are when he is observing visitors gazing at the trees on display in the museum. "It's remarkable to discover what different people are fascinated by in bonsai. Children are energized by the museum—they love the shape of the trees, and wonder aloud if they are real! And adult visitors seem to be truly mesmerized by the detail of each tree, from the texture of the bark to the color of the leaves. It is a joy to watch them take their time and luxuriate in the extraordinary qualities of each individual bonsai."
Caring for Bonsai
This tiny cypress shows off its dense canopy of leaves.
Bonsai are not simply miniature trees in small pots; on the contrary, bonsai have a special root system that makes their life patterns different from "regular" trees. Bonsai root systems are pruned to be mostly composed of tiny, fibrous "feeder roots," as opposed to the woody perennial roots found in larger trees. These fibrous roots are highly efficient sponges that absorb nutrients from the fast-draining soil that Julian uses in their pots. As a result, these root systems can support dense canopies of leaves. Further, judicious pruning gives rise to many new buds. On a bonsai, of course, a denser canopy means smaller individual leaves—small enough to mesmerize visitors of all ages!
Because of the unique root system and special solar efficiency, bonsai are not ordinary potted plants. "Once the leaf canopy appears, the tree begins to truly 'believe' it is in its natural setting, and begins to age," Julian explains. "However, the aging doesn't mean growing in size—since the tree is receiving plenty of nutrients from its fibrous root system and sufficient sunlight is absorbed by the leaf canopy, it is able to age without growing."
The use of copper wire to shape a bonsai never causes damage to any tree. As Julian explains, "Wiring isn't used to restrict the plant. I use it to guide and move branches—it is not aggressive, but rather supportive of the tree's development, and a centuries-old practice of good design."
This Chinese elm's wonderfully textured bark evokes a sense of time and serenity.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is often credited with bringing the bonsai tradition to the U.S., and in particular for introducing the idea of growing tropical bonsai indoors. The Garden's first learn-by-doing bonsai care workshop was launched in 1954 by the BBG Education department—with more than 100 students in attendance. Betty Scholtz, director emeritus of the Garden recalls that students would fly in from all over the country to attend the workshops. More than 400 people have taken bonsai courses at BBG just since 1997. Today, the Garden's Continuing Education bonsai classes remain extremely popular and are frequently oversubscribed. Over the years, BBG classes spawned many bonsai enthusiasts and semi-professionals whose names are known in bonsai circles.
The Garden's all-time top-selling handbook is Indoor Bonsai, first published as Dwarf Potted Trees in 1953. Although this title is no longer in print, a new All-Region Guide, Growing Bonsai Indoors, will be released in September 2008 with a plant encyclopedia co-written by Julian. For more on how to grow and care for bonsai, Brooklyn Botanic Garden also offers the classic handbook, Bonsai Special Techniques.