THE IKEBANA CENTRE,
AUSTRALIATHE IKEBANA CENTRE,
AUSTRALIA
Ikebana,
is the sculptural art form that originated from the floral religious offerings
composed by Japanese and Chinese monks in temples duringthe 7th Century.
Twenty years ago, Ruth Grosser discovered Ikebana and the exciting contemporary
school of Sogetsu and the elegant traditional school of Ikenobo. She embraced
the beauty of this creative sculptural art. For a decade, she studied under
world-renowned Australian Ikebana Master Norman Sparnon. She also underwent
intensive training and private lessons at the Sogetsu School in Tokyo and
the Ikenobo School in Kyoto. Ruth has used this strong foundation to extend
her ideas to produce a unique style and form, incorporating Australian
flora. In 1993 her personal style culminated in the publication of lkebana
at Home, the first book to place Ikebana in a living environment and to
identify a unique Australian style. This lavish book was nominated for
excellence in Australian Publishing, and each publishing stage was carried
out on the Gold Coast, Australia.
She was the Founding President of the Gold Coast Chapter of I.I. (1988) and has been President of both the Lismore and Gold Coast Chapters of I.I. ;also Vice- Chairman of the 15th Australian/New Zealand Regional Conference (1985). She has exhibited her Ikebana at the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th World Conventions of I.I. in Japan. Also at The Sydney Art Gallery; The Brisbane Art Gallery; and also in Japan; N.Z.; in the U.S.A.; Hong Kong; Taiwan; Noumea and Thailand. Solo exhibitions include Osaka, Japan Sept 1995; Johore Bahru, Malaysia May 1996 and Kyoto, Japan Sept 1996.
She gives many Lectures and Demonstrations on Ikebana, including those on National Australian Television. Ruth is in demand as a Guest Speaker.
Ruth conducts lessons in her workshop surrounded by her beautiful garden. An ideal environment for the journey along the Kado, or road of the flower. Ruth emphasises the importance of an individual's immersion into the arrangement and individual attention, so class sizes are kept relatively small, at The Ikebana Centre, Australia. Ruth also believes in incorporating exceptional materials and sculptural form into the arrangement. Once the basic principles have been mastered, the student is encouraged to express freely and creatively, within the confines of the material, the environment, the occasion, and the concepts of Ikebana.
