Tokonoma at Pacific Bonsai Museum. All of My Love and Apologies, acrylic on wood, 2016, by Joe Vollan.
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The Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, Washington is an underappreciated treasure. It's a botanical garden focusing on bonsai and it is always free. (10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday)
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Right now, they are showing an exhibit that highlights some of their bonsai alongside skateboard decks hand painted by Pacific Northwest street artists. Traditionally, tokonoma are small alcoves in the entrance of Japanese homes that highlight (1) a (usually) seasonally-themed scroll or artwork and/or calligraphy; (2) a bonsai; and (3) flowers or an accent plant. Pacific Bonsai Museum has played with the notion of tokonama a bit by (1) showing their tokonama outside; and (2) substituting the scroll with skateboard decks.
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On the morning I was there, I arrived right at 10 a.m. when they opened and essentially had the entire exhibit to myself. I was able to wander through the exhibit multiple times, returning and spending additional time with the pieces that spoke strongest to me.
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I highly recommend a visit if you enjoy gardening, looking at flowers and plants, street art, or skateboarding. It runs through October 2, 2016.
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