Sandy is right - getting a club going and keeping it going is a lot of work. But a good club is great I'm a member of the Milwaukee bonsai society, and it is a very active club, bringing in 2 to 5 guest artists a year, a couple shows a year and all sorts of things. The latest is establishing a permanent public collection. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is hosting the permanent collection, really appropriate, as bonsai is more like sculpture than it is like any other branch of art, and clearly reflects that it is an art rather than simply an aspect of horticultural craft. Most public bonsai collections are paired with botanical gardens or arboretums. The Milwaukee collection will be focused on the fact that bonsai is Art. So clubs are great. But once you start doing a lot of stuff, you need things like 501(c)2 status, and accountant to file the annual statements with IRS and State IRS. Meetings, Board or Executive Committee meetings, liability insurance and all that stuff. The Milwaukee society has around 200 to 200 paying members, but the same 12 people do all the work, the rest show up occasionally and sit back and watch, complain, or occasionally applaud. It does have up side. I'm in year two of my turn on the Executive Committee, fortunately as Secretary, a not too demanding a job. But when the draft for workers comes, they have my number. LOL
For a look at what a "Good" Bonsai Society can look like visit
http://www.milwaukeebonsai.org/index.html the newsletter will give you an idea of how active this medium size club in a medium size city can be. It is one of the better clubs out there.
The activity that has really helps me bring my trees up a notch is joining a study group. Or study group is the MKE (Milwaukee chapter) of the Arbor Arts Collective. It is no rules, no dues, just enjoy bonsai. We meet once a month on a Sat or Sun, and rotate between the 5 homes of members that have ''visitor friendly'' back yards. It is a closed study group, by invitation only and we closed it at 12 members. The most that ever made a meeting is 8. We really wanted to limit it to 8 members, but there are a couple fun people we couldn't exclude. We bring trees and work until dinner time, then sometimes we eat together, sometimes we disband to our own homes. Key is no dues, no rules, no "teacher", and we all encourage each other to kick our trees up a notch. Generally, we all wander about over the course of the day and offer comments, advice and tips to each other. Skill level in the group ranges from novice to very advanced (I'm in the intermediate), and everyone is helpful when asked. Usually somebody there on any given meeting has dealt with what ever problem you can think of. It is fun that way. We have done some fun things, like the entire group has an Amelanchier, all bought from a nursery at the same time, same size. We have a Amelanchier day, and bring them in and compare how each has responded to different things we have done. We all also have a Stewartia, and a Cryptomeria. It is fun seeing how different material that roughly looked the same when we started, nice to see the differences after a few years.
http://arborartscollective.blogspot.com/
Arbor Arts Collective is an informal idea, we originally created the website to encourage others to copy the successful format we use. We regularly invite others from all over the world to join the AAC, with the hope they found their own local chapters. Our "Manifesto" is on the website, along with a blog of what some of the members are up to on any given day. Its fun.
Some study groups are organized around a designated "teacher", The Milwaukee Bonsai Society has at least 4 study groups within its membership. One group regularly pools its money and brings Suthin in from the east coast. Another group regularly brings in Ted Matson. These groups are a bit more organized, charge dues and have rules. But a study group can be as informal or as formal as you want. I like the informality of the Arbor Arts Collective, and for things that require organization, the Milwaukee Bonsai Society fits my needs.
The MBS does host "advanced classes" - a three year commitment to taking an all day workshop with one visiting teacher. The year I'm finishing a 3 year, 3 or 4 all day workshops with Peter Tea. MBS picks up a portion of travel and housing, then the class members pitch in to pay Peter's daily instructional fee. It works out well. Usually 4 to 6 share Peter for a day. Best instruction I've ever had, and having the same teacher, coming back and checking on the same trees is really helpful.
So unless you love drawing up by laws, and all the other complications of a formal club, I recommend a study group, and a closed one at that. Only invite people you like working with. And have a good time. 4 to 8 is ideal, The MKE Chapter of AAC has space problems if all 12 members show up at once. Hint - try to get a couple members that know more about bonsai than you do. It will really help your trees.
) and hosts demos and mini-shows and such.
