NEON TREES Spring 2024
Welcome to the Neon Trees | Bonsai and Modern Art Exhibit! Get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant fusion of nature and contemporary art.
Experience the beauty of intricate bonsai and kusamono alongside captivating modern art pieces.
Ticket Cost = Pay What You Can! (suggested ticket price is $8)
More About the exhibit
Beauty in Contradiction
The Neon Trees | Bonsai + Modern Art Exhibit is an exploration of what may seem like incongruity: eastern vs western, modern vs traditional, formal vs abstract... It will showcase 10 modern pieces selectively paired with ancient trees. Every piece has been crafted with a subtle element of neon, adding a glowing vibrancy to each display.
All pieces are available for pre-purchase by placing a deposit with an early May delivery date.
Meet Kusamono Artist, Young Choe
A kusamono artist who studied traditional art in Korea before earning her BS in horticulture from the University of Maryland, Young Choe traveled to Japan to study this unique art form with master kusamono artist, Keiko Yamane. She worked for many years with the USDA, including the U.S. National Arboretum. Young is considered a leader in the field and enjoys conducting workshops and lectures internationally.
The Art of Bonsai
Neon Trees will feature beautiful bonsai trees from 8 talented artists located on the East Coast. Several artists have 20+ years of practice and will be showcasing prized trees. Each bonsai will be a part of a multi-piece display, featured with a custom painting and complemented with kusamono.
Photo of 50 year old Shimpaku Juniper
Bonsai: Don Kimball
Photography: Joe Noga
Photography by Joe Noga
Joe received formal photographic education from the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In conjunction with his teaching career, he initiated the first academic photography program at the high school level in the state of Connecticut. He then joined the faculty of the School of Printing Management and Science at RIT teaching Reproduction Photography with special courses for art and photography students. As technology changed, he specialized in electronic color imaging and color reproduction.
For 32 years Joe has photographed workshops, led demonstrations, worked as a guest artist at bonsai conferences, seminars, shows, and conventions. As a technical person, he began photographing bonsai out of frustration after seeing multiple poor photographed examples in publications. Many might believe that photographing bonsai is an easy task, but in fact there are several technical issues that must be considered. Lighting is a main factor in achieving good results along with the post processing of the images. Someone observing bonsai enjoys seeing the detail and refinement of the tree, accuracy of color, the clarity of the image and the beauty of the tree. Attention to the fine details of the photographic process makes this possible.
Joe’s artistry and years of experience with photographing bonsai has brought joy to hundreds of viewers over the years. You can find his photographs in ten books on bonsai that he has helped publish: the International Bonsai magazine, ABS magazine, BCI magazine, and Bonsai Today. His photographs have been cherished by bonsai artists who know that they can have a beautifully and accurate captured memory of their trees. We are thrilled to have him photograph the displays for our exhibit.