Page 20 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2013Q4

Top; Chiar receiving the presti- bringing many of the Japanese masters to Italy, and
gious Crespi cup for suiseki in encouraged setting up standards and examinations for
September 2012 in Parabiago, bonsai instructors in Italy. She was the first Italian on
Italy. the Board of Directors of EBA (European Bonsai As-
Middle; Boat stone collected sociation), and was the treasurer for 4 years, 1991-94.
at Santa Isabela Beach, Puerto
Rico. She helped organize IBS (Italian Bonsai Society) and
Bottom; Song Hua stone, served as president from 1999 until 2008. In 2008, she
Baishan, China served as President of the organizing committee for
the BCI Convention in Saint-Vincent, Italy, an event
that was carefully orchestrated to celebrate the arts
of bonsai and suiseki. Chiara organized a convention
with pageantry, a high level of artistry and plenty of
good food, entertainment and opportunity for revelry & C.” She has hosted students from Austria, Spain,
and camaraderie. United Kingdom, United States, and Puerto Rico for
Teaching has been a major activity for Chiara, as she some wild weeks hiking and studying in Italy from
founded the first Italian Suiseki school, called “Suiseki Liguria, to Tuscany, to Sicily. She has spent six months
in 2011 and 2012 in the United States teaching about
suiseki at clubs in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Minnesota, New York and Texas, as well as traveling to
Winnipeg, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Mexico
and Puerto Rico to teach. Everyone that has hosted
her has enjoyed her marvelous Italian cooking, as well
as her sense of humor and zest for life. When asked
whether something should be attempted, her first re-
ply is generally, “Why not?” She has an intellectual
bent, and insatiable curiosity for information about
stones, whether Gongshi in China, suiseki in Japan or
the Korean suseok. She has produced a library of CDs
for educating oneself on making daiza, or learning
about different types of stones including rain flower
pebble stones. With her gift for understatement, her
good friend Neida Rodriguez once confided, “You do
realize that Chiara is a little bit crazy about stones don’t
you?”

18 | BCI | October/November/December 2013