Thinking About Starting a Club

Leo in N E Illinois said:
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.
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Suthin is amazing! I applied for the Peter tea study group! Hope I make the group!
 
JudyB said:
If you know of interested practitioners in your area, sometimes study groups are the way to go instead of a club.
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I belong to a study group because it is not always possible to get away for club meetings if you have a busy schedule, etc. The study group format allows you to spend a little more time discussing trees one-on-one, as well as getting to know people a little better on a personal level. It also gives you the opportunity to meet up for exhibitions or conventions, or to do road trips. We are planning a road trip to visit Smoke in about a month :)

Some of our study group members belong to various clubs in the area, and some work with other individuals or study independently under bonsai masters. It really just depends what works for your schedule. Of course, we happen to have a lot of options in our area, which is not always the case in other parts of the country.

study-grp.jpg
 
Bonsai Nut said:
I belong to a study group because it is not always possible to get away for club meetings if you have a busy schedule, etc. The study group format allows you to spend a little more time discussing trees one-on-one, as well as getting to know people a little better on a personal level. It also gives you the opportunity to meet up for exhibitions or conventions, or to do road trips. We are planning a road trip to visit Smoke in about a month :)

Some of our study group members belong to various clubs in the area, and some work with other individuals or study independently under bonsai masters. It really just depends what works for your schedule. Of course, we happen to have a lot of options in our area, which is not always the case in other parts of the country.

View attachment 121645
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Oh yeah! Nothing like backyard study group! TREES, BBQ, BEER, TREES!
image.jpeg
 
aml1014 said:
I actually agree with this, I thought about starting a club as well as my club is extremely newbie oriented. Then I was nominated to be the president next year. That makes me excited as I will be able to decide upon programs, workshops, and meetings. We'll see if the club votes for me, if so I'll be the youngest president the club has ever had.it also takes quite a bit to become a nationally recognized club.

Aaron
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Is there a way to advertise for non profit groups for free there? Also see if you could advertise on the internet and possibly get someone with much more experience and knowledge to come and MC your meeting to get all on board with forming a good group focused strongly on getting better at Bonsai;).
 
Potawatomi13 said:
Is there a way to advertise for non profit groups for free there? Also see if you could advertise on the internet and possibly get someone with much more experience and knowledge to come and MC your meeting to get all on board with forming a good group focused strongly on getting better at Bonsai;).
Click to expand...
A couple of my buddy's and I meet about twice a month for what we call a "subcommittee meeting", it's just us younger guys who are definitely a little more out going about bonsai.
HeartThrobSethNelson said:
I stopped going to my club last year. Mostly because I'm 40 years younger than the next guy.
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I feel that's the problem many places when your our age.

Aaron
 
aml1014 said:
I actually agree with this, I thought about starting a club as well as my club is extremely newbie oriented. Then I was nominated to be the president next year. That makes me excited as I will be able to decide upon programs, workshops, and meetings. We'll see if the club votes for me, if so I'll be the youngest president the club has ever had.it also takes quite a bit to become a nationally recognized club.

Aaron
Click to expand...
It would be a good moving-forward idea, if you take the club challenge, to work up programs and ideas together with someone in the club. Anyone that can be interested. Don't make it just "I will be able to decide...". Collaboration has better results. You want an ally or two. You want others to contribute...And, you'll find implementation much easier with extra hands that have a contributing ownership-in-results role....Shared success. The sooner you get people involved the more successful you will become. You probably know all this...just my thoughts noted.
 
M. Frary said:
Shouldn't that have been just before the meeting?
And after.
Click to expand...

During. You forgot during.

Anyone who talks about the last time they smoked weed is kinda lame.

I can't wait to go get them Beer City boys cheesed.

I sent a legal care package up with Leo and have 2 $5 trees he picked up in Michigan which are great for the price.....
Even never having met any AAC members but Leo....it is already a mutually beneficial relationship.

I don't know why it is....
But....

Club=wanting to do for self, and Bitch.
Study Group=wanting to do for trees, and have fun.

Sorce
 
sorce said:
During. You forgot during.

Anyone who talks about the last time they smoked weed is kinda lame.

I can't wait to go get them Beer City boys cheesed.

I sent a legal care package up with Leo and have 2 $5 trees he picked up in Michigan which are great for the price.....
Even never having met any AAC members but Leo....it is already a mutually beneficial relationship.

I don't know why it is....
But....

Club=wanting to do for self, and Bitch.
Study Group=wanting to do for trees, and have fun.

Sorce
Click to expand...
I was gonna say "during" too! Ha!
Intermission = fresh cold one, puff the magic dragon, turn up the Phish!
 
@Stickroot, or anyone, if you know of any shows coming up that aren't too far away, I'd love to take a trip with the group so we can see good trees in person. That's what really did it for me. I won the Instagram giveaway for tickets to the Artisan's Cup, so I flew out and saw some incredible trees up close & in person. Changed my life. The guys in my group don't really have a feel yet for what bonsai really is or can be.

Even if it's not a show, just a collection would be cool. They may even want to purchase some starter material while we're there.
 
Grant Hamby said:
@Stickroot, or anyone, if you know of any shows coming up that aren't too far away, I'd love to take a trip with the group so we can see good trees in person. That's what really did it for me. I won the Instagram giveaway for tickets to the Artisan's Cup, so I flew out and saw some incredible trees up close & in person. Changed my life. The guys in my group don't really have a feel yet for what bonsai really is or can be.

Even if it's not a show, just a collection would be cool. They may even want to purchase some starter material while we're there.
Click to expand...

What state are you in?

EDIT: PM me
 
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