May 26, 2016 by BGLM Admin
We have made a number of small but significant improvements to the Bonsai Garden in the past few years including the following:
- added name tags to all of the displays to enhance the visitor experience,
- installed shade cloths to protect the bonsai from the sun,
- established a Bonsai School to train our assistant curators and others,
- developed a database to track all of the bonsai in the collection and the care we provide them,
- joined museum associations to improve our management strategy and procedures,
- added a video surveillance system to monitor our visitors,
- started a Museum Shop to increase revenue from each visitor,
- participated in Autumn Lights Festival to present the Garden in a whole new light,
- created a shohin display area, and
- coming soon an accent plant display.
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Now it is time to do some heavy lifting. This involves all of us who care about the Bonsai Garden. We need your help to prepare the Bonsai Garden for its future. We have been open for over 16 years and hosted over 300,000 visitors. This takes a toll on our infrastructure and on our volunteers. Both are showing signs of aging.
We have started a new program to grow the Garden – appropriately enough it is called Garden Revitalization Opportunity (GRO). The goal of this program is to “grow the old Garden into something new again.” GRO will focus our efforts on the following projects:
- replace all of the decaying display benches,
- replace the irrigation systems in the display garden and reserve areas,
- replace existing drip heads on bonsai
- add an additional pathway inside the Garden,
- install additional display and seating benches,
- install a tokonoma display area,
- repave the pathways in the Garden,
- replace signage throughout the entire Lake Merritt Garden,
- add weed cloth over the entire landscape area, and
- upgrade the exterior electrical outlets and security lights.
Here is where you come in. All of this work will take time and money. We would like donations of labor and funds from you. The work could be taking a docent shift, so some of the current docents can take on other jobs. Saturdays are where our greatest need is. We can also need help in doing some of the minor construction work much like was done when the Garden was originally built. This type of work has been found to be a great team building exercise for the Club members taking part. Some of the local corporations from Kaiser to Starbucks send their employees here for just such a purpose. If you wish to volunteer, please email us at [email protected] and let us know if you have any special interests or if you wish to be a docent or construction worker.
For those individuals and clubs wishing to contribute funds in lieu of work, we will create a brass plaque and post it on our Wall of Appreciation each year. The names of donors will be listed on the plaque in categories based upon the amount of the gift. See the photo for an idea of how this plaque will look. For more information on the categories, please visit the Giving page on this website.
The greatest reward of all is knowing that you have contributed to the continuing success of the Bonsai Garden and helped make it an even greater Bonsai Museum in the coming years.