Workshop with Michael James

EVENT CANCELLED - 

The visiting bonsai artist, Michael James, ran into a last minute problem with his travel authorization from the National Arboretum and will not be able to travel to Denver. We are sorry for those looking forward to the workshop, we were excited to host Michael James here in Colorado. A refund will be issued in the coming days for those that purchased tickets. If you have questions, please contact Darrell Whitley.

Join us for an engaging workshop on styling and refining bonsai. Bring your own tree! 

Michael James grew up on his family’s woodland homestead in the hills above Clear Spring, Maryland. His childhood duties included tending to an acre of blueberry bushes and keeping the firewood pile chopped and stacked. He left home to study fine arts at Maryland Institute College of Art and received a degree in Plant Sciences from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

In 2001 he traveled to Vietnam to collect tropical bonsai which he imported through APHIS. After returning home he helped to expand his family’s one acre of blueberries into a profitable farm business which became Certified Organic under the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In 2011 the farm was given special recognition by the White House when Michael and his wife Kristina were invited to share the blueberry harvest with Members of Congress at the Annual Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn.

Michael has taught advanced placement biology and agricultural sciences in Maryland’s Washington County Public Schools. He first arrived at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum as an intern in 2002 and then returned to the Museum in 2014 as the Assistant Curator. He served in that position until October 2016 when he was designated as Acting Curator. In May of 2018 he received a permanent appointment as Curator of the Museum.