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Bill Valavanis
(Rochester, New York)

Specialties:

Contact: 585-334-2595 / [email protected]

Website: valavanisbonsaiblog.com / www.internationalbonsai.com

William N. Valavanis became interested in bonsai and horticulture at age eleven and pursued his interest by studying Ornamental Horticulture at SUNY Farmingdale and Cornell University. He has made over 50 trips to Japan and apprenticed with Kyuzo Murata and Kakutaro Komuro in Omiya Bonsai Village in Japan. Additionally a 30 year study and association with Yuji Yoshimura combined with his formal horticultural degrees, apprenticeships in Japan and his artistic talent provide Bill with the solid background to promote and teach Classical bonsai art around the world.

He is the proprietor of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester, New York where he maintains a fine personal collection of classical bonsai and offers classes, seminars and symposia. He maintains a busy worldwide teaching schedule. In order to further promote classical bonsai he began publishing International BONSAI magazine 40 years ago. He has authored eight books and many articles in English, Japanese and other European languages. His distinctive bonsai and displays have received many awards both in the United States and abroad. He freely shares his fifty plus years of dedicated bonsai study, experiences and discoveries through his educational bonsai programs.

He has organized the first six successful U. S. National Bonsai Exhibitions where artists from around the country bring their finest specimens for display. Visitors from around the world attend this popular exhibition to see the high quality bonsai in the United States, learn from the international demonstrators and shop in the largest sales area in the country. The 7th U. S. National Bonsai Exhibition will be held on September 12-13, 2020.