Inspirational Ikebana

Ping Wei sensei is leading an outdoor ikebana workshop at the Japanese Friendship Garden on Sunday, November 8, as part of a series that runs through the winter and into the spring. If you've never come across it, ikebana is the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging, born from the desire to create beautiful forms and bring botanical materials into our living spaces to find a kind of harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity. It's less about filling a vase with as many blooms as possible and more about the space and lines you leave between them.

Wei sensei runs the session in a way that works even if you've never touched a stem. He starts by explaining the concepts and techniques while creating real examples in front of the group, and then everyone makes their own arrangement. The session closes with him offering insights on what people have put together, so you walk away with a finished piece and a better sense of why it works.

There's a bit of philosophy behind the work, too. The series leans on the Kadensho by Sofu Teshigahara, which suggests that a variety of flowers means a variety of languages—and that it's not only the flowers that speak. Grasses, trees, fruits, branches, vines, leaves, and dried plants all talk to us differently, and the workshop encourages you to listen to all of them, not just the blooms.

All the floral materials are provided, though you'll need to bring your own container and kenzan—the spiked holder that keeps the stems in place—or buy them at the class. The workshop is $50 plus a $1.75 service fee, and it starts at 9:30 AM. If you can't make this one, the series continues with sessions on December 20, January 10, February 14, March 14, April 11, and May 9, all at the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, 1125 N 3rd Ave.