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ESSENTIAL INFO
If you purchase a ticket for this course, all the information on this page will be emailed to you with your ticket.
👥 Suitable for: Ages 18 and up
📍 Venue: Bellingen High School (mobility aid accessible)
📈 Level: BEGINNER skill level
⏰ Schedule: Mon–Fri, 9am – 4pm (5 Full-Days)
🏷️ Extra costs: This course has a cost of $50 for materials
Required skills & experience
No experience required
Supplies that will be provided by your tutor
Cost of $50 includes:
Fresh plant materials (flowers, leaves and branches)
NOTE: Supply costs will be collected by the tutor before Camp Creative.
Supplies that you need to bring to class
Gardening secateurs
Optional - Apron/gloves for protection
Optional - Pen and paper
Learning outcomes
Participants will apply the knowledge and techniques developed throughout the course to create original ikebana works using both dry and fresh materials.
By curating and sharing a mini exhibition, they will celebrate their achievements, appreciate the diversity of creative expression, and leave with the confidence to continue their ikebana journey.
COURSE PLAN
The techniques and fixture methods will be introduced and taught during class each day, based on the contents of the lesson.
The program is subject to change according to the materials available and the feedback from the students.
DAY ONE
Morning:
Brief introduction on the history and development of ikebana, especially the Sogetsu school of ikebana.
Introducing basic tools and the care of tools and containers.
Introducing the basis of ikebana, e.g. the lengths and angles of the main stems and the subordinate stems.
Afternoon:
Demonstration and guiding students with the basic upright style moribana (arrangement in a shallow container using the kenzan, a needle point holder).
Five-minute sculpture using one leaf.
DAY TWO
Morning:
Quick revision of the work of Day 1 with question and answers.
Demonstration and guiding the students with Horizontal style moribana which is suitable for a dining table.
Afternoon:
Freestyle arrangement with student’s own containers. Discussing on their works, sketching and photograph of the works.
Five-minute exercise with sticks (e.g. chopsticks and a leaf).
DAY THREE
Morning:
Freestyle arrangement with green plant materials only. Any kind of container, e.g. the flat container (suiban), a kitchen ware, or containers from op shop.
Taking a walk outside in the grounds to see how many different greens they can find. Textures seen in the different greens.
Afternoon:
Arrangement with one kind of material only. (Also introducing “Dissembling and rearranging the materials”).
“Cool down” exercise with pebbles and a small flower.
DAY FOUR
Morning:
Relief work – arrangements using dried, coloured or bleached materials on a flat base e.g. a piece of cardboard, a wooden board, or a canvas etc.
Afternoon:
“Focusing on Water” – arrangements with glass containers and just have fun with water and experimenting with refraction, material under water; or floating arrangement in the flat moribana containers.
DAY FIVE
Morning:
Composing with dry branches and fresh material – A Two-step Approach
Making a free-standing “sculpture with dry branches” – introducing wiring techniques
Arranging the branch structure together with fresh materials in a container, creating a different look.
Afternoon:
Celebrate your learning by creating and displaying your original ikebana arrangements in a mini exhibition, inspired by any theme or technique explored during the course.
COURSE TUTOR
Shan Sun
My Ikebana journey began in 2019 with my teacher, Sandy Marker. Under her mentorship, I refined my skills in showcasing nature’s beauty and explored the art’s deeper meaning.
I have obtained the 4th Grade Teacher's certificate of Sogetsu school in 2024. As part of the Sogetsu tradition, each student is given a 'flower name' upon receiving their first teacher’s certificate. My flower name, 靜優 (Sei-Yu), meaning "quiet excellence," reflects my journey and aspirations in Ikebana.
I am proud to be a member of both the Sogetsu Teacher’s Association of Japan and the Australian Sogetsu Teacher’s Association NSW Branch.
Community Engagement and Teaching
2023 & 2024: Designed the table arrangements and entrance floral installation for the Japanese Lantern Festival Fundraising Dinner, organised by the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour Daybreak at the Japanese Pavilion, Coffs Coast Regional Botanic Garden.
February 2024: Invited as a guest speaker by the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour Daybreak to give a talk and demonstration introducing Sogetsu Ikebana.
June & July 2024: Conducted two complimentary Ikebana workshops for volunteers at the Coffs Coast Regional Botanic Garden.
2024 & 2025: Created the floral arrangements for the Annual General Meetings of the Friends of the Botanic Garden.
January 2026: Appointed as an Ikebana tutor at Camp Creative Bellingen, where I taught a five-day introductory course to 11 participants.
May 2026: Conducted an Ikebana workshop as part of the Art in Bloom series at the Nature Discovery Centre, Coffs Coast Regional Botanic Garden.
“Shan was an extremely positive, well organized, polite and insightful instructor. Each day she arranged materials so they were ready for the start of class. She shared her own personal belongings and her expertise feely. It was a privilige to be part of Shan’s class.”
“Wonderful, Shan is an excellent teacher. The course was well thought through and well prepared with all the materials we needed each day. Shan provided lots of equipment with involved a lot of carrying in advance.”
“The tutor was excellent. She knew her stuff, was organised and able to teach effectively. She also gave us lots of scope to be creative.”
