Press Release: Connecting - An Ikebana Exhibition

Added on May 18, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

For Immediate Release - May 18th, 2019

Ikebana on the South Shore of Nova Scotia!

Connecting - An Ikebana Exhibition will be held at the Lunenburg Library on the weekend of June 1-2, 2019.

Ikebana is the art of Japanese floral arrangement. This exhibition’s theme is “connecting”. Through ikebana, we connect people, nature and cultures.

This event is part of the 90th anniversary celebration of Canada-Japan diplomatic relations.

The exhibition will be presented by Miyako Ballesteros (Sogetsu School of Ikebana) and her students. Please come and enjoy the ikebana.

Admission is free.

Connecting - An Ikebana Exhibition

Jun 1st (Sat) 10 - 5 p.m. *
Jun 2nd (Sun) 12 - 4 p.m.
*Short live demonstration on Saturday, 2:00 p.m.

At the Lunenburg Library (Lunenburg Academy 1F, 97 Kaubach St., Lunenburg NS)

We hope to see you there.

20190601 exhibit Connecting Lunenburg Library final small file.jpg

Surprise! - An Ikebana Exhibition

Added on May 15, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

Surprise! - An Ikebana Exhibition was held last May 10-12, 2019 at the Keshen Goodman Library in Halifax. We chose the theme “surprise” with the bold mission to surprise people with what they can do with oft taken for granted plants that are easily found in backyards and roadsides! So in this exhibit, you’d have seen familiar things, —pine and spruce branches, magnolia, quince, bridal wreath and lots of tree bark—alongside blooms from the florist! Thank you to all who visited us! We hope you enjoyed the arrangements as much as we did creating them!

We are very grateful to the Keshen Goodman Library who let us use their beautiful space. The staff were all very welcoming and helpful! Special mention to Dacia M. for her patience with us. Preparations and take-down could not have gone any smoother!

This exhibition is part of the on-going celebrations of the 90th anniversary of Canada-Japan diplomatic relations. It also coincided with the Asian Heritage Month festivities in Halifax.

To the people who made this possible: Val S, Susan R, Nina D, Media C, Jean H, Robert L, Brenda D, Heather N, M. S., Linda K and Cody O. A very BIG thank-you! Your hard-work and dedication to ikebana are very much appreciated. We hope to do another exhibition next year!

Arrangement by Jean H
We are welcomed to the exhibit by this floor position arrangement by Jean H. Hydrangea, magnolia and delphinium.

Arrangement by Val S
How Val deftly peeled away the bark from a fallen birch tree is beyond us! Pink lines and pink blooms accent the white bark perfectly.

Arrangement by Susan R
A lovely vase (origin unknown but acquired at the local Xmas market in Mahone Bay!) paired with driftwood from Nova Scotia’s shores. Something very wabi-sabi about this!

Arrangements by Nina D
Nina uses spirea branches called bridal wreath. The shrub with droopy branches grow all over Nova Scotia and blooms with little white flowers…but for these arrangements, Nina uses them not for the flowers but to show lines.

Arrangements by Media C
Exotic-looking vases! Gentle curves of delicate grass contrasted with a chunk of rough, fallen wood!

Arrangement by Robert L
Robert says he never heard of Bells of Ireland till he started ikebana lessons…and now he just absolutely loves them!

Arrangement by Brenda D
Brenda tells us that weeks before the exhibit, she already mentally placed “reserved” tags on select branches of the spruce tree in her backyard. ..and behold, a nageire with very strong lines. The addition of a piece of bark at the bottom anchors the forceful upward surge of those branches.

Arrangement by Heather N
Quince branches and lilies. This arrangement was evolving as the lilies started to bloom during the 3-day exhibit!

Arrangement by M.S.
May is the month when irises bloom in Japan as well so this arrangement connects us to the seasons in Japan as well! Irises normally grow straight up but M.S. bends these irises to her will!

Arrangement by Linda K
This arrangement is meant to be seen all around.

Arrangement by Cody O
In ikebana, the clearness of the water is an important element. Cody O gives us more to appreciate by adding some blooms in the water!

Arrangements by Miyako
A convolution of corkscrew willow branches, crisscrossing in brightly painted red and natural colours. (Thank you, Nina D, for bringing these branches, freshly pruned, from the Annapolis Valley!)

There is a pine tree in our backyard that fell after a strong storm some years ago. Recently, its old bark started coming off…and this is showcased in this arrangement. Miyako inserted some pine needles to remind us that the bark was from a pine tree. With the aged bark, Miyako added some young, budding magnolia branches! The vase is by local pottery artist, Sally Ravindra (Purcell’s Cove Pottery).

These uncannily curving branches were found on the roadside. Arranged on a tall vertical vase with a few tufts of moss added to give some sense of motion…like a pinwheel!

Last but certainly not least…thank you, Kent Martin, for visiting the exhibition and allowing us to use your photos. Kent Martin is a professional photographer/film producer who is currently working on The Halifax Project—a documentary of our beloved city, Halifax NS!

Updated Aug 10, 2020

This exhibition won an award! Please click on the image to see the details!

My Ikebana: Using Furoshiki

Added on May 9, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

Furoshiki (風呂敷) is the the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. It is used to wrap mostly small hand-carry things and gifts. It is the old style re-usable “bag” except it is really just a simple square fabric.

For this exercise, furoshiki was used to wrap the vase and make a hanging arrangement. The corners of the fabric, tied together made the perfect place to hang it from.

Here is a closer view seen from below.

The convenient thing about using furoshiki is that we don’t have to care about the appearance of the container! We only have to make sure that it will balance well inside the cloth.

I hope you like this idea. —Miyako

Japanese Chat Time!

Added on April 30, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

Dear Japanese language students, May 4th (Sat) 12-5 pm is Japanese chat time at the shop! This activity is part of the GenWell Project on Quinpool Road to promote face-to-face connections in our community!

Come to the shop and practice your Japanese conversation skills! We'll be running the shop as usual but we'll be chatting with you in Japanese if you greet us with "konnichiwa"! :-)

Exploring Japanese Culture at Ross Creek

Added on April 8, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

The Ross Creek Centre For The Arts is a not-for-profit organization with the noble mission to provide arts education to youth, nurturing the next generation artists through various programs in performing/visual arts, crafts, and even gardening/cooking! Many professional artists from all over also visit the Centre through their residency/retreat programs. This offers valuable opportunities for the youth to interact with established artists.

Last Sunday (Apr 7th, 2019), the Centre hosted a community event-- Exploring Japanese Culture. We were honoured to present an ikebana demonstration. The beautiful facility is tucked away in a small corner of the Annapolis Valley in Canning, NS, about 1.5 hrs drive from Halifax. For first-time visitors like us, the area felt remote. Would people really go there? Our concern was unfounded! The turnout was great and we found a very vibrant and involved community. The ikebana demonstration was well-received as was the chanoyu (tea ceremony) presentation after us.

Thank you Chris, Ken, Kathleen (wonderful food...and your Japanese cheesecake is to die for!) and the rest of the Ross Creek staff for your very warm welcome! We enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Press Release: Surprise! - An Ikebana Exhibition

Added on April 7, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

For Immediate Release - Apr 7th, 2019

Surprise! - An Ikebana Exhibition will be held at the Keshen Goodman Library lobby on Mothers’ Day weekend (May 10-12, 2019).

Ikebana is the art of Japanese floral arrangement. This year’s theme is “surprise”. The exhibition hopefully will surprise you with ideas on what you can do with the blooms and branches in your backyard!

This event is part of the 90th anniversary celebration of Canada-Japan diplomatic relations.

The exhibition will be presented by Miyako Ballesteros (Sogetsu School of Ikebana) and her students. Please come and enjoy the ikebana.

Admission is free.

Surprise! - An Ikebana Exhibition

May 10th (Fri) 12 - 5 p.m.
May 11th (Sat) 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. *
May 12th (Sun) 2 - 5 p.m.
*Short live demonstration on Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

At the Keshen Goodman Library lobby. (330 Lacewood Dr., Halifax NS)

We hope to see you there.

2019 ikebana Sogetsu Exhibit in Halifax.

My Ikebana: Using A Fruit Basket

Added on March 22, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

I bought this container at a local supermarket in Tokyo. It was meant to be a fruit basket (but it is ceramic). With the dried vines as handle, it was perfect as a flower container as well! So, in the same way we put a variety of fruit in a basket, I used a variety of flowers: liatris, alstroemeria, anastasia…plus forsythia branches from the backyard!

Here is the whole arrangement.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

"Sō" Magazine Feb 2019

Added on March 10, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

The ikebana display created by Miyako for the 2018 Atlantic Canada Japanese Language Speech Contest held at St. Mary's University was featured in the February, 2019 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.

My Ikebana: From The Floor

Added on February 17, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

Most of the time, we learn to make arrangements to be placed on a table or stand. But if we look around our surroundings, sometimes we can find lovely spaces on the floor as well. This arrangement is laid on the floor on purpose. The intention is for the viewer to see it while looking downward from standing position.

I used an obi (kimono sash) as a way to give a sense of space around the arrangement.

The placement is on a stairs landing. Here is what you would see as you round the corner coming from downstairs.

I also made sure that the arrangement could be appreciated as one comes down from upstairs.

I hope you like it. —Miyako

"Sō" Magazine December 2018

Added on January 3, 2019 by the ikebana shop.

Last year’s ikebana workshop with a group of St. Mary's University students is featured in the December, 2018 edition of "Sō" (「草」) magazine, the official publication of the Sogetsu Teachers' Association.