Page 36 - BSAM 2017 Q3

34 | BCI |
July/August/September 2017
ARCOBONSAI
ARCTOFIORI
he Arcobonsai Club of Garda Trentino, Italy, held its conference on Friday, May, 5 to Sunday, May 7. As always, the event took place in the rst weekend in May at Arco in Trentino, at the Municipal Casino Congress Center and the surrounding gardens. For the rst time,
because of the limited availability of spaces at the Casino and the growing popularity of this event, organizers added a new location, the prestigious rooms of Palazzo Marchetti.
anks to the dedication and work of the organizers, ArcoFiori—a market for local produce and Trentino products derived from agriculture and livestock production—o ered an additional attraction for visitors.
is is the enviable 32nd Conference, which this year hosted the 20th National Congress of IBS, (National College of Italian Instructors of Bonsai and Suiseki) a er having hosted the National Congress of the UBI (Unione Bonsaisti Italiani) last year.
e three days o ered a range of opportunities that have made the conference a pleasant and interesting one. e 16th Arcobonsai Trophy, a competition for plant design, has two categories: Instructors, with the participation of fourteen IBS Instructors; and Clubs, where 20 Italian bonsai clubs participated. Despite the new location in Palazzo Marchetti, public attendance was good. At the end of the two days of competitions, the jury decreed the victory of Gaetano Settembrini for Instructors, and the Oltre Il Verde Bonsai Gymnasium for Clubs.
As for bonsai and suiseki exhibitions, the audience could appreciate the remarkable level of specimens exhibited for both plants and stones. Indeed, among the eighty bonsai exhibited, there was a beautiful show of six precious suiseki exhibited by the instructors Luciana Queirolo and Ezio Piovannelli. e audience responded with impressive numbers, reaching about 3,000 visitors, more than last year, despite the fact that on Saturday the weather was not the best.
e conference also o ered many interesting presentations in the lecture theatres of the Casino, by professors Marchesini, Luca Bragazzi, Massimo Bandera, Silvia Orsi, Mario Pavone, Michele Andolfo, Ezio Piovanelli, Carlo Cipollini and Sonia Stella. In addition, the Bonsai Schools recognized by IBS demonstrated the level of their didactic skills.
By Massimo Bandera, Italy
Photos courtesy Arcobonsai.com