Fort Bend County Libraries’ Cinco Ranch Branch Library will have a special demonstration, “Ikebana – The Enchantment of Japanese Flower Arranging,” on Saturday, January 21, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., in the Meeting Room of the library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.
Unlike simple flower arranging, ikebana is a disciplined Japanese art form in which nature and humanity are brought together and represented with the use of living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms. An asymmetrical form and the use of empty space are essential features of the composition, and a sense of harmony among the materials, the container, and the setting is crucial.
YuMei Montalvo, First Jonin Somu (professor) of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana, will provide a short history of ikebana, the Japanese art and philosophy of flower arranging. As she demonstrates the creation and composition of several arrangements, she will explain the relationship of the materials being used and the importance of their placement within the arrangements. Following the demonstration, one audience member will receive a completed arrangement.
Montalvo began studying Sogetsu in Singapore in 1992 and spent 17 years teaching it in Ecuador. She now resides in Houston.
The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Cinco Ranch Branch Library at 281-395-1311 or the library system’s Public Information Office at 281-633-4734.
