Our May Garden Club meeting is

Introduction to Ikebana with Speaker Chris Jones 

Saturday May 24, 2-4pm 

Mission Hills Nursery 1525 Fort Stockton

Chris Jones is a relatively recent arrival in Mission Hills.  She moved from the Santa Barbara area in 2020, bringing with her thirty years of experience with and passion for ikebana—the Japanese art of flower arranging.  She has deep knowledge of the Sogetsu School of the practice, which holds that nature releases the creativity in anyone who works with it.

In the Bay Area Chris found the sensei, or teacher, Soho Sakai and began her formal studies.  She earned her teacher's certificate in Colorado from sensei Kyoko Kita and continued her practice in Santa Barbara.  She has taken many workshops from Sogetsu School masters in Japan and throughout the US.  Here in San Diego Chris studies with sensei Yumi Rakers at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.  She is also a member of Ikebana International's San Diego branch.

Chris is excited to share her love of ikebana with us.  After a brief introduction, she'll demonstrate the first lesson from the Sogetsu School's textbook number one as well as a freestyle arrangement.  She'll be accompanied by her San Diego classmate and friend Jeff Fine, who coincidentally began taking lessons from Soho Sakai in the Bay Area at the same time Chris did.

There will be time for questions and answers after the demonstration.