Sogetsu Teachers Association Wellington are pleased to be hosting Auckland based Sogetsu teacher Takako Martin (Riji Teacher) for two workshops on Saturday 8th August 2020. Takako has visited Wellington many times and her workshops are always a great experience for beginners as well as advanced students.
Where and When:
These 2 workshops will be held at the Khandallah Presbyterian Church Hall, Ganges Road, Khandallah at 10am and 1pm on Saturday 8th. We have permission to park in the Church carpark, but please carpool if convenient. Please come early; the hall will be open from 9am. Morning tea will be served from 9:30 am and we will not be breaking during sessions until lunch time.

Please see your email for the workshops registration form.

Saturday morning workshop, 10-12midday: Using flax and other materials
Beginners to use the flax as Shin and Soe in a moribana arrangement. Advanced students may like to choose a lesson from Book 3 or 4. Spring flowers will be in season and are lovely in August. Students (particularly beginners) should discuss the workshop themes with their teacher.

Saturday afternoon 1-3pm: Using Camellia
Do an arrangement using camellia, either “camellia only” or combined with other materials. Advanced students and teachers, please do a nageire arrangement using the vertical type fixture (Book 5, lesson 2). For the nageire arrangement with the vertical fixture, Takako says please ensure your camellia branch is strong enough to split, and make sure your  container is not too small.

We will entertain Takako for dinner on Thursday 6th August at an Asian restaurant in the central city. Please indicate if you are interested in coming so we can find a suitable sized venue. Partners are welcome to attend.

Our monthly meeting, 12 July in the Khandallah Town Hall, 2-4pm. Members will make an arrangement using fruit or vegetables as their container. Choose the container and material carefully and remember that fresh flowers always need water. This is not a textbook lesson but you may get some ideas from Book 2, lesson 17 Morimono. Elizabeth will lead this workshop.

On Sunday 14 June in Khandallah Town Hall at 2-4pm. Kathy will lead our first workshop after the COVID 19 lockdown. Members will make an arrangement using pine, suitable for a celebration of their choice. There are several textbook lessons on this theme. Have a look at Book 1, lesson 20. Book 2, lesson 20 and Book 5, lesson 11.

Satomi has come back to Wellington and has some great photos of ikebana exhibits she saw in Japan. If we can arrange to use the tv at Khandallah Town Hall we plan to show some of these photos at the workshops this year.

Sogetsu Teachers Association Wellington are pleased to be hosting Melbourne based Sogetsu teacher Christopher James (Riji Teacher) for two workshops on Saturday 4th April 2020. These 2 workshops will be held at the Khandallah Anglican Church Hall (St Barnabas), 35 Box Hill, Khandallah at 10am and 1pm on Saturday 4th April. Please find a registration form for workshop attendance in your email from Leonie on 31 January. You can see Christopher’s interesting and creative ikebana on his blog Roadside Ikebana.
Morning Workshop 10 - 1 2 midday Technique Revision. Book 2, lesson 18. Variation no 8. Combined Arrangement of Nageire and Moribana. Use the drop stick technique for your nageire arrangement and remember that both the Nageire and Moribana arrangements will be basic or variation styles from Book 1 and 2.  Material will be provided for this session, but please bring your own containers and equipment.

 Afternoon Workshop 1 – 3pm Experimentation. Book 4, lesson 9. Deconstructing and re-arranging, incorporating text. Your choice of moribana or nageire container. You may use the containers and material from the morning workshop, or something else of your choice. To get the most out of the workshops, members should do minimal or no advanced preparation. The theme “Incorporating text” is an add on to the textbook lesson. Christopher has some ideas on his Roadside Ikebana blog but would like to see our own interpretation of this idea.

Monthly Workshop at Khandallah Town Hall. Our AGM will start at 1:30pm and the workshop at 2:00-4:00pm. Sandi will lead a workshop on the theme of the colour red, to celebrate Headmaster Akane’s 60th birthday. You may like to wear red as well as use red flowers and / or a red container.

Our ikebana group have been invited to do three ikebana arrangements at a Japanese Embassy party to celebrate the new Emperor’s birthday. The party is by invitation only, but we’ll get some photos to put on the website. 

Monthly Workshop at Khandallah Town Hall. Spontaneous Ikebana. Members will bring a container and a bunch of materials which will be swapped with each other so that everyone is working spontaneously. Elin Dahlin from Stockholm will be our special guest at this workshop.
On Tuesday, 11 February we will entertain our visitor, Elin Dahlin at lunch at Mojo Poneke Clyde Quay Wharf. Please contact Helen if you would like to attend. Ph 021 201 8601.

Els Schnabel, an ikebana teacher from Germany will lead this workshop and show us a variety of fixing techniques used in the Saga-Goryu School. Els teaches this ikebana school. Bamboo skewers and wooden chopsticks will be provided for the fixtures. We will meet at the Wadestown Presbyterian Church hall at 116 Wadestown Road. The hall is on the side street, Hanover Street. Check your email message for what to bring including a little contribution to Christmas afternoon tea :-) This is our last workshop for the year!

Monthly workshop at Khandallah Town Hall. Lyn Cartwright from Christchurch will lead a workshop on Miniature Ikebana (Book 5, lesson 15). Members will learn how to make several very small arrangements and display them as a group.

This month, instead of our usual workshop we visited a private Japanese style garden in Karori. We were lead around the back of Carl’s house where we were invited to sit under and around the outside of a red and black torii pergola. Hanging from it were Japanese lanterns and beneath them was a large red umbrella. Carl explained how he and his wife had designed and built their Japanese-like backyard and how they tend to the beautiful Zen garden with bonsai trees and ornaments. Carl is a taiko drummer and he explained and showed us how the drums are played.

Kay, Carl’s mother showed us her special wooden boxes - one for sewing kimono and the other for calligraphy. We were then invited inside for afternoon tea and to view kimono and Japanese books. It was a most interesting and enjoyable afternoon.

Event details

May 11 Saturday 10am to 1pm in Khandallah Presbyterian Church Hall, Ganges Rd. The attached document is about our Saturday 11th May workshops with Sandy Marker who is coming over from Sydney especially for this event. Please check your diary and register with our Treasurer as soon as you can.

Sogetsu Teachers Association Wellington are pleased to be hosting Sydney based Sogetsu teacher Sandy Marker (1st Grade Teacher Jonin Somu) for two workshops on Saturday 11th May 2019. Sandy was the recipient of the 5th Norman and Mary Sparnon Scholarship and studied Sogetsu in Japan for 3 months in 2015.

2019 May STA Workshops Sandy Marker Registration

Gloriosa lilies are a favourite of our Headmaster Akane and these will be the focus of this freestyle workshop. Elizabeth McMillan will lead. The club will provide the lilies – $10 for 3 stems, so just bring a suitable container and other material of your choice. Reminder: Membership fees are now due and for non teachers these are $25.