DAYTON, Ohio — Ikebana is a type of Japanese floral design. It’s a centuries-old art roughly translating to "making flowers come alive."

Beth Bowers-Klaine is an instructor. She first began learning about Ikebana while she was in the Air Force.

What You Need To Know

  • Beth Bowers-Klaine is an instructor of Ikebana who learned about it while she was in the Air Force

  • She met a group of fellow ikebana enthusiasts through Ikebana International at Wright Patterson Air Force Base

  • Noriko Banerjee is another Ikebana artist who moved to the U.S. in 1985

  • Ikebana International has chapters in Dayton, Cleveland, North Canton and Columbus

 “I was stationed near Tokyo, Japan, back in the early 1990s,” she said.

Her career eventually brought her to Wright Patterson Air Force Base. That’s where she met a group of fellow Ikebana enthusiasts through Ikebana International.

Noriko Banerjee is another Ikebana artist. She moved from Japan to the U.S. in 1985.

“In Japan, there are several schools or denominations of ikebana. It’s slightly different, but the philosophy is the same,” she said.

Banerjee finds it important to share this part of her culture with others because of the philosophical component. For her, the art is about mind purification.

“And a kind of calmness instead of conflict," Banerjee said. "We understand each other. That kind of philosophy is important for me and I think it is important for everybody in this world, in this moment especially.”

The basic elements of ikebana involve color, line and mass. Each stem is placed with attention on the relationship of the surrounding material. Ikebana teaches that nature is never symmetrical, but finding balance in asymmetry is finding harmony. 

Ikebana International has chapters in Dayton, Cleveland, North Canton and Columbus.