National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia
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Introducing the Interim Curator
The National Collection is maintained by a Curator, a position funded by the ACT Government. Our current interim curator is Grant Bowie.
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Grant Bowie has been part of the Australian bonsai scene since 1970 when, at the age of 13, he discovered the art of growing miniature trees. He gave his first major demonstration in 1978 and has continued to make an active contribution to the development and appreciation of the art of bonsai in Australia. Grant is now recognised as one of Australia's leading bonsai artists. From 1978-1988 Grant contributed articles for Bonsai Down Under, an early Australian bonsai publication. It was an important vehicle for sharing knowledge among the bonsai community during a time when the number of people taking up bonsai started to grow rapidly. It formed the foundation for the strong bonsai community in Australia today. |
Grant standing beside the Taxodium group he donated to the
collectionGrant has given demonstrations in many major seminars and conventions for the Bonsai Federation of Australia (BFA), the Australian National Bonsai Association and the Association of Australian Bonsai Clubs (AABC). Grant was president of the BFA Northern Chapter for two years and is a registered national demonstrator for the AABC. Grant was the guest overseas artist at the National Bonsai Convention, Napier New Zealand, in October 2008.
Grant has also given demonstrations and conducted workshops for many clubs all over Australia. He has demonstrated a range of advanced styling techniques and shared his in-depth knowledge of bonsai cultivation and bonsai artistry developed from research, experimentation and sharing information with local and overseas bonsai artists. Grant is familiar with the different growing conditions that bonsai experience around Australia and ways to manage bonsai cultivation in a wide range of environments.
Grant has also actively promoted and supported the use of Australian native plants as bonsai material. Since the first National exhibition 2003, Grant has been a strong supporter of the annual Australian Native Plants as Bonsai Exhibition held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Grant has contributed articles on Australian native bonsai to the Australian Plants as Bonsai newsletter, and to club newsletters.
After living in Sydney for over 30 years Grant moved to the Southern Highlands of New South Wales to grow nursery stock for bonsai. He moved to Canberra in 2007.
Pines of various species are Grant's favorite traditional bonsai material and banksias his favourite Australian native material. Grant has advanced-bonsai which he developed from seed and loves to recover and restyle old bonsai. He has shared some recent work by posting photographic records of re-styling major trees on cbs.org.au
A visit in 1979 to the bonsai collection of the United States National Arboretum in Washington (now known as the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum) gave Grant first-hand exposure to inspirational, world-class bonsai and penjing. This experience contributes to the value Grant places on the role a national collection could make to the promotion of the art of bonsai and penjing in Australia.
In 2006, after much hard work had already been done by the National Bonsai Collection Planning Committee, Grant was selected as Bonsai Adviser to help establish the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection of Australia (NBPCA). In 2008 this role expanded to become the Interim Curator, NBPCA.
Grant has played a key role in sourcing trees for the Collection, visiting clubs and collecting trees from donors far and wide. Grant has been an excellent ambassador for the NBPCA, facilitated by his high standing in the Australian bonsai community as an artist, and his generous support and contribution to the growth of bonsai in Australia.