How is Ikebana International connected to the National Arboretum?
Ikebana International (I.I.) and the U.S. National Arboretum have a longstanding, continuing relationship. I.I. members from all over the world donated approximately $20,000 to establish the Ellen Gordon Allen Memorial Garden at the arboretum. It was dedicated in 1983 and is located at the entrance to the U.S. National Arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. In 1980, Chapter No. 1 gave 53 rare books on ikebana to the arboretum’s library. In 2000, a member of Chapter No. 1, Jesse Denvil Maggard, donated a complete collection of bound Ikebana International magazines to the library. The arboretum and I.I. cosponsor an annual exhibition of ikebana at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum and conduct demonstrations to educate the public about ikebana. Sachiko Furlan, a member and past president of Chapter No. 1, and an arboretum volunteer, provides ikebana arrangements in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum on a regular basis.
