Led by haiku poet Debbie Kolodji, this workshop will include time to walk in the garden and be inspired by the camellias and instruction on writing the traditional Japanese three-line poem.

Free with admission, no advance registration required.

The Camellia Connection: Our Rebirth of Wonder

Celebrate camellias and poetry throughout the month of February at Descanso Gardens.

Camellias can bloom in our coldest and darkest winter season. These brilliant flowers, native to Asia, contain stories of resilience, hope, loss and ingenuity. Descanso supports one of the largest collections of camellias in North America, with more than 3,500 known and recorded plants, representing over 600 varieties.

In collaboration with accomplished poets Amy Uyematsu and Peter Levitt, Descanso is pleased to offer a series of programs that invite exploration, reflection, and participation.

Join curator Meher McArthur as she gives a gallery tour of the upcoming exhibit SHIKI: The Four Seasons in Japanese Art. Meets at the Sturt Haaga Gallery on February 18 at 11am and 1pm.

No registration required, free with admission.

Top image:

Tale of Genji: Murasaki and Genji Enjoying the Snow
By Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Japan, c. 1854
Full-color woodblock print (14 1/4 in. x 29 5/8 in.)
Courtesy of Scripps College, Claremont, CA

Join curator Meher McArthur as she gives a gallery tour of the upcoming exhibit SHIKI: The Four Seasons in Japanese Art. Meets at the Sturt Haaga Gallery on February 18 at 11am and 1pm.

No registration required, free with admission.

Top image:

Tale of Genji: Murasaki and Genji Enjoying the Snow
By Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)
Japan, c. 1854
Full-color woodblock print (14 1/4 in. x 29 5/8 in.)
Courtesy of Scripps College, Claremont, CA

Click here for the Saturday series

Join artist Virginia Hein for a four-week series beginning Friday, March 3 that focuses on exploring sketching landscapes of Descanso. Bring a spirit of curiosity, play and experimentation while learning to work confidently.

Meets in Minka in the Japanese Garden. $120 members, $140 non-members. Advance registration required, register here.

Image: © Virginia Hein

Join artist Virginia Hein for a four-week series beginning Saturday, March 4 that focuses on exploring sketching landscapes of Descanso. Bring a spirit of curiosity, play and experimentation while learning to work confidently.

Meets in Minka in the Japanese Garden. $120 members, $140 non-members. Advance registration required, register here.

Image: © Virginia Hein

Please note that this class is sold out

Join artist Virginia Hein for a sketch walk through the gardens on Thursday, April 6 from 5–6:30pm. This class is designed as an introduction to quick location sketching and each participant is given a small panorama sketchbook and waterproof pen (included in class price). Bring a spirit of curiosity, play and experimentation.

$40 for members/$45 for non-members, materials are included. Advance registration required.

Image: © Virginia Hein

Come see what happens in the garden during extended hours. Take a tour, dance to music amongst the flowers, learn about nature, enjoy food and drink. Grab some friends and enjoy the gardens in a new way.

Included in the price of admission or Descanso Gardens membership, no reservations required.

Cultivate: Explore SHIKI
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SHIKI exhibit tours with curator Meher McArthur
– Lecture/tour of Sturt Haaga Gallery
– Times: 5–5:45pm | 6–6:45pm

Haiku and tanka poetry reading and performance by Debbie Kolodji and Mariko Kitakubo
– Poetry readings of Kolodji and Kitakubo’s book
– Times: 5–5:30pm | 6–6:30pm

Flashdance DJs
– Times: 4:30–7pm

Activity: Make-your-own haiku poem or woodblock print
– Time: 4:30–7pm

Biographies
..

Meher McArthur
Meher McArthur is an Asian art historian specializing in Japanese art. She worked as Curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum and Creative Director for the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, both in Pasadena and was Academic Curator for Scripps College in Claremont and Art and Cultural Director for JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles.

Deborah P Kolodji Bio
Deborah P Kolodji is the Moderator of the Southern California Haiku Study Group, the California Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America, and a member of the board of directors for Haiku North America. She has given hundreds of haiku workshops over the past 15 years.

Mariko Kitakubo
Mariko Kitakubo is a tanka poet/tanka reading performer born in Tokyo (4, Oct. 1959) and living in Mitaka-city, Tokyo. Mariko has published six books of tanka including three bilingual ones, “On This Same Star” , “Cicada Forest”and “INDIGO”. She hopes to encourage more poetry lovers worldwide to appreciate and practice tanka. URL: www.en.kitakubo.com

Join artist Virginia Hein for a sketch walk through the gardens on Thursday, May 4 from 5–6:30pm. This class is designed as an introduction to quick location sketching and each participant is given a small panorama sketchbook and waterproof pen (included in class price). Bring a spirit of curiosity, play and experimentation.

$40 for members/$45 for non-members, materials are included. Advance registration required, register here.

Image: © Virginia Hein

Come see what happens in the garden during extended hours. Take a tour, dance to music amongst the flowers, learn about nature, enjoy food and drink. Grab some friends and enjoy the gardens in a new way.

Included in the price of admission or Descanso Gardens membership, no reservations required.

Cultivate: Native Plant Stories

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Storytelling workshop with Tina Orduno Calderon
– Tina will share stories and songs with guests as well as speak about the revival of the Tongva language and the fluidity of culture which is integrally connected to language and place
– Times: 4:30–4:50pm and 5–5:20pm
– Location: Amphitheater

Lessons from wildlife with Horticulturist Diana Nightingale
– Times: 5–5:45pm and 6–6:45pm
– Location: Meets at Center Circle

Theodore Payne Nursery Table
– Learn about fire prevention and native plants with Theodore Payne Nursery
– Time: 4:30–7pm
– Location: El Portal

Flashdance DJs
– Have a drink in the Rose Garden bar and enjoy a mix of classic and contemporary songs by our popular guest DJs
– Time: 4:30–7pm
– Location: Rose Garden

Craft activity: Native seed packet
– Time: 4:30–7pm
– Location: Main Lawn

Biographies
..

Tina Orduno Calderon
Tina is a Culture Bearer, traditional singer and dancer, storyteller and poet who strives to honor her ancestors and inspire others to respect the lands, water, sacred elements and environment.

Keep your eyes open on the path leading up to the Boddy House and you may just find eyes staring back at you! These are part of the Wild Sighting installation by artist Leslie K. Gray on display May 30–October 1.

Free with admission, no reservations required.

About Leslie K. Gray

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Leslie K. Gray is a visual artist and theater designer whose work has been seen locally at the Skirball Museum, Highways Performance Space, and others as well as in Chiang Mai, Thailand and Montevideo, Uruguay.

She designed and directed the “Dragons 101” puppet show for Descanso’s Night Garden event of 2020 and the colorful butterflies in Descanso’s Rose Garden in 2021.

For more of her work, visit Haikupenguin.com.