Exhibition Catalog Foreword:
Betrayal or Innovation?

     What results when a conservative, centuries-old traditional art form--bonsai--governed by stringent rules for hundreds of years, collides with modern artistic innovations that openly challenge its fundamental principles? Conflict or innovation or both? This is what is happening with this exhibit of non-traditional, modern, creative ceramic pots containing typical Japanese- or Chinese - styled bonsai. Can we still call these pieces bonsai, or are they just small trees in unconventional pots?
     Bonsai styles and techniques have changed over time and so have the tools used in the art form; however, the basic principles of bonsai haven't changed that dramatically for the last 150 years. The modern bonsai container has evolved from the deep, bowl-shaped, Chinese-style pot used many generations ago, to the shallower, less ornate type of Japanese pot seen more often today. Despite this, Japanese-styled bonsai pots are always subordinate and complementary to the tree or trees, following established principles. Pots are selected to match or "marry" with specific trees. For example, flowering trees such as apple or cherry command one type of pot, typically a glazed vessel. Pines and other conifers require a totally different type of pot, usually one that is unglazed. Regardless, the container should never compete with the tree.
     This exhibit challenges the basic rules of combining pots with trees. Here, the pots are equal to or even dominate the trees they contain. In some, the role of the tree actually shifts from being the featured aspect to being the complementary one; in other words, the roles have been reversed. To the traditionalist, this is a provocative departure and may even be labeled as heresy. Others may view the exhibit and be amused or fascinated with the unorthodox pots and consider them to represent a fad--something that will pass with time.
     To openly challenge a long-standing tradition is boldly asking the question: "Can the pot be equal in importance to the tree and together with it form an exciting art piece where two different artisans, the bonsai master and the ceramicist, share the stage?" There is a danger in this approach in that the pot might become more important, might actually be the focal point, and the tree or trees relegated to secondary importance. If the pot is the dominant feature, many who practice the art of bonsai will no longer consider the combined tree and pot to be a bonsai, but instead an interesting or even a beautiful arrangement. Can they be truly complementary to each other and not have to compete for dominance? This point will be briskly debated.
     Another viewpoint is to consider the pots in this display to be items that are used only in short-term exhibitions such as this and not intended to serve as vessels for growing and maintaining the bonsai throughout the year. If this is the case, then this exhibit does, indeed, expand the horizons in bonsai exhibitions.
     Whatever position you take, I hope you enjoy this exhibit and that it causes you to consider or rethink the role of the pot in a bonsai. While we at the U. S. National Arboretum and the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum are, perhaps, going out on a limb for promoting such an "avant-garde" approach to bonsai, it is important for our museum to document, preserve, and feature all aspects of bonsai and penjing. Records, books, and illustrations depicting the earliest known bonsai and penjing are as important to us as are our display of world-class collections of miniature trees, forests, and landscapes. It is equally important for us to showcase new and creative aspects of bonsai, which this exciting exhibit certainly does. Will the novel concepts presented in this exhibit become historical footnotes or will they be the genesis of a new wave that will lead to dramatic changes in the manner bonsai and penjing are created in the future? We will be in a better position to answer that question ten or twenty years from now. As for today, we can enjoy this marriage of modern bonsai pots with traditional trees and wonder.

Thomas S. Elias, Director
U. S. National Arboretum
Washington, D.C.