International conference on Japanese gardens draws nationally over 250 participants

 

Cultural News, 2009 May Issue

 

 

The international conference programs included garden tours in Southern California.

 

    Japanese gardens are an international phenomenon.  Prized for their artful beauty and associated with feelings of serenity and peace, more than 250 public Japanese gardens have been built in North America alone.  A growing interest in these gardens and how to sustain them was the inspiration for an International Conference on Japanese Gardens Outside of Japan sponsored by California State University, Long Beach held March 26-29. 

 

    Over 250 participants attended the Conference, including scholars from across the US and Japan, directors of gardens and museums, representatives from Japanese organizations such as the Japan Foundation, world class garden designers and noted researchers in the field from Japan, Canada, over 20 different states in the US and throughout California. Over 50 students received scholarships to attend from CSULB, Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA, as well as several community colleges including Long Beach City College and Orange Coast College.

 

     Featured presenters included Ron Herman, Landscape Architect and designer of many of North America’s largest and most intricate private gardens, Makoto Suzuki, Professor of Landscape Architecture Science at Tokyo University of Agriculture, Marc Treib, Professor of Architecture Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and Stephen Bloom, Executive Director of the Portland Japanese Garden, as well as many representatives of Southern California’s finest Japanese gardens, including Jim Folsom, Director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens, Alison Redfoot, Assistant Director of the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden, Corey Wells, Plant Healthcare Coordinator of Lotusland, Luanne Kanzawa, Executive Director of the Japanese Friendship Garden Society of San Diego and Chris Aihara, Executive Director of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

 

     Also featured was landscape architect, Takeo Uesugi, faculty emeritus from Cal Poly Pomona who received the first “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Conference, as more than 180 Conference attendees, colleagues, family and friends applauded his many professional and academic contributions to the field of Japanese Gardens Outside of Japan.

 

Testimony of the power of Japanese gardens

By Prof. Kendall Brown, California State University Long Beach, organizer of the 2009 conference

     The basic goal of the conference was to bring together the leading people responsible for designing, building, maintaining, running and studying Japanese gardens outside Japan. Thanks to the dedication of the speakers, moderators and attendees who journeyed to Long Beach despite a challenging economy, the conference achieved its primary purpose. 

      From everything I saw and heard, it seems clear that people made important new connections, learned useful things in their own field and were exposed to new topics, and felt re-inspired about Japanese gardens.

     The uniformly high quality of the presentations brought a wealth of detailed knowledge, unique experience and incredible images to the audience. These lectures were video-taped and will be made available, bringing the expertise of the speakers to a broader audience and allowing conference attendees to use these presentations as a permanent resource.

      Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of the conference is the organizing of new regional Japanese garden associations that is now occurring.  I am very grateful for the efforts of everyone involved. This conference is testimony to the power of Japanese gardens and the people who devote their lives to them.

Significant impacts on the history of Japanese garden development

By Takeo Uesugi, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture, California Polytechnic University Pomona, Awardee of the Lifetime Achievement in the 2009 Conference

    I would like to congratulate Prof. Ken Brown and Ms. Jeanette Schelin for the success of the conference on Japanese Garden outside Japan held at California State University Long Beach. It must have made significant impacts on the history of Japanese garden development. 

   One of the challenges toward the future of Japanese Gardens would be the ways of transcending the principles and forms of traditional Japanese garden to the contemporary forms.   

   Both traditional and contemporary values of Japanese gardens should be educated to the next generations of our professions.  Educational and cultural supports shall be a key to the next 2010 Symposium, San Diego.

Important announcement by Portland Japanese Garden

By Koichi Kobayashi in Seattle, member of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects

   I started attending conferences on Japanese Gardens in and outside of Japan since 1990, in Seattle, New York, Portland, Tokyo and Kyoto among others. I have noticed a growing depth of interest and concerns on Japanese Gardens over the years.

   From my observation, I like to point out that one of the keys to answer them successfully is to hold opportunities for us to gather in a continuing and timely manner as this conference provided.

   Announcement by the Portland Japanese Garden to initiate future American Institute on Japanese Garden sounded an important next step for this effort.

    I understand the Portland Japanese Garden is doing soul search for this. You should get in touch with Stephen Bloom at sbloom@japanesegarden.com