04/02/2026
Ikebana International Madison Chapter 28 will be meeting at Olbrich Bontannical Gardens on Tuesday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m.
We have business to discuss!
1. Dues will be due soon, Michael will be ready to receive them and will have a report on them.
2. Michael has a request for all of us. He kindly takes photos of our arrangements, then crops them and puts them on our website. This now takes quite a bit of time as our membership grows. His request, and its a good one, is to wait until he has taken a photo then take one of the remaining backdrops to take your photos while he moves on to the next arrangements. This way he can get photos taken quickly and it will help him in doing the other items for which he is responsible. He reminds everyone that the photos on our facebook website can be captured and kept in your files, so you don’t have to take your own.
3. We have two events coming up, the Mother’s Day arrangements for the Dean House and the Bonsai exhibition which will be the weekend of May 16. We will need about 8 - 10 arrangements for the Dean House. 3 or 4 for the table at the Bonsai exhibition and then people to man the table.
4. And importantly, not least, Michael and I need help! We have been running this chapter in a very loose and informal way, which works well if there are no problems. However, if Michael or I are not able to attend every meeting we need people who can step in and lead. We need a second treasurer to understudy Michael. Being treasurer is not a difficult job but there are things to know to get it done. My job is to lead the meetings. I don’t have to do the demonstrations for every meeting, other people can do programs, or get people to come in. So we need a vice president. It would be easier if we could plan the whole year, there are lots of things we can do. Kristy Parmenter has been instrumental in finding ways we can participate in other exhibitions and we have not followed up on her ideas. Jennifer Hefferan has also been serving as both secretary and helping with program ideas. This will be a busy meeting so lets not take a lot of time to solve these issues. The Treasurer understudy and vice president need to be Ikebana International Members, not local members. So have in mind if you would be willing to serve in one of these positions.
This month our demonstrations are a combo affair.
1. a refresher in Suiseki
2. and a refresher in Sand Gardens (Important: Let me know by email if you need a sand tray and sand!)
3. And for those not doing either one of the above or in addition to: We will be looking at the Chiko School of Ikebana.
In 1927, Kao Naruse founded the Chiko School of ikebana. Dissatisfied with the traditional ikebana schools of that era, she originated the style of morimono, in which flowers and plants are incorporated with inanimate objects to create a unified and integrated arrangement that tells a story. The one characteristic that is paramount in the Chiko style is harmony. It is an art form in which both imagination and innovation are unlimited.
Morimono Style This style combines the beauty of flowers and sometimes fruits and vegetables with non-floral materials such as dolls and folk art to present a harmonious “scene.” In most Chiko arrangements, the floral and non-floral materials usually sit atop a thin oblong base called a kadai. Sand is often artistically spread over the kadai with a feather to give the arrangement a sense of cohesiveness.
We will have for everyone, a black base upon which you can place your arrangement. If you have a flat tray, or lacquer black base you can use those. The ones we have are about the size of a dinner plate, so they are not large. These are small arrangements incorporating a small flower arrangement with a figurine to try and tell a story.
Some examples by the late Jo Ellen Budnick are below as well as other examples:
