RESUME
MARJORIE S. DAVANZO - 3rd TERM MASTER OHARA SCHOOL
OHARA SCHOOL OF IKEBANA
April 2021 Obtained 3rd Term Master Certificate OHARA
July 2018 Obtained 4th Term Master Certificate OHARA
August 2014 Obtained Instructor Level Certificate OHARA
November 2008 ICHIYO School Primary Level Certificate
EXHIBITIONS
September 2024 - Memorial Celebration Pinecrest Gardens
May 2023 - Arts Award Gala table centerpieces ArtServe
February 2023 - Pillars Hotel & Club - Fort Lauderdale
January 2022 - ArtServe Fort Lauderdale, Florida
December 2019 - Nippon Club NYC & UN Plaza
November 2019 Kitano Hotel NYC
March 2019 Pinecrest Gardens, Pinecrest Florida
March 2019 Japanese Spring Festival MIA Botanical Gardens
June 2017-2018 Metropolitan Museum of Art (Bamboo Exhibit)
May 2018 Metropolitan Museum of Art
November 2015 Barnes & Noble, Rochester NY
DEMONSTRATIONS
February 2024 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens
March 2024 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens
February 2023 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens
March 2022 Coral Ridge Yacht Club
January 2022 Bonnet House Museum and Gardens
February 2020 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens
June 2019 Demonstration & workshop Victoria Park Flower Studio Fort Lauderdale , Florida
March 2019 Japanese Spring Festival MIA Bch Botanical Gardens
December 2018 New York Chapter of Ikebana International
November 2018 TAC (The Artists Co-op) Manhattan
June 2018 ArtServe Fort Lauderdale, Florida
May 2018 Metropolitan Museum of Art
March 2017 Japanese Spring Festival MIA Bch Botanical Gardens
May 2016 Women’s Club Coral Gables, Florida
ADULT IKEBANA WORKSHOPS
February 2025 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens (I.I. Chapter 160)
March 2024 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens I.I. Chapter 160
March 2023 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens. I.I. Chapter 160
March 2022 Coral Ridge Yacht Club
February 2022 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens, I.I. Chapter 160
February 2020 Pinecrest Botanical Gardens , I.I. Chapter 160
June 2019 Victoria Park Floral Studio, Fort Lauderdale FL
March 2019 Japanese Spring Festival Miami Beach Botanical Gardens
January 2019 Miami Chapter of Ikebana International
November 2018 TAC (The Artists Co-op) Manhattan)
August 2018 Rochester Chapter of Ikebana International
February 2018 Miami Chapter of Ikebana International
February 2017 Miami Chapter of Ikebana International
March 2016 Miami Chapter of Ikebana International
MEMBERSHIPS
New York Ohara Chapter - Vice President
Rochester Chapter of Ikebana International - Board Member 2009-2022
New York & Miami Chapters of Ikebana International - Associate Member
N.A.O.T.A (North American Ohara Teachers Association)
S.E.O. (Southeastern Ohara Organization) - Board Member 2020-present
TEACHING
English Educator 35 years: Hunter College, Erie Community College
EdM Degree: Teachers College, Columbia University
RESIDENCES
New York City, NY
Fort Lauderdale, FL
ZOOM EXHIBITIONS & LESSONS
VIRTUAL KATEN - ZOOM EXHIBITIONS (PAST)
February 2022 - NAOTA spring Katen
Theme: free expression
March 2022 ArtServe Fort Lauderdale, Florida
April 2021 Rochester Chapter of I.I. (Ikebana International)
December 2020 New York Ohara Chapter
December 2020 NAOTA (North American Ohara Teachers Association)
November 2020 Rochester Chapter of I.I.
September 2020 NAOTA
September 2020 Rochester Chapter of I.I.
August 2020 Rochester Chapter of I.I.
May 2020 NAOTA
April 2020 Rochester Chapter of I.I.
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS (PAST)
November 2020 - Hiraku Katachi zoom lesson for NY Ohara Chapter (12 people)
February 2021 - demo & workshop for Miami chapter of I.I. (30 people)
April 2021 Mother-Daughter Spring Ikebana Workshop in Boston (20 people)
VIRTUAL PRIVATE LESSONS (CURRENT)
Private lesson March 2020 - present 3 students))
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
October 2020 - Hana-isho lesson: https://youtu.be/CjdJf2CvSFw
Fort Lauderdale . Florida 2022
January 10 - Lecture and demonstaion Bonnet House Museum and
Lessons at Bonnet House January 18, 25, February 1, 8
Lessons at Art Serve 1350 East Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale
CURRENTLY TEACHING 2025-26
Thursdays 10:00 - 12:00
ArtServe 1350 East Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
STUDENTS AGES 5-9 rising form ARRANGEMENTS (FROM MOther-daughter ZOOM lesson)
IKEBANA FOR BUSINESS
GOAL SETTING WORKSHOPS - inperson & hybrid
WHY OHARA TODAY?
OHARA IKEBANA is an elegant, minimalist and progressive but disciplined art form. Ohara past, present and future maintains a provocative and forward thinking approach to the art of Japanese flower arranging!
Just over a hundred years ago a young Japanese potter named Unshin Ohara challenged the established art form of ikebana by creating a new design for floral arrangements. With colorful flowers then being imported from the west which did not lend themselves to the traditional type of ikebana arrangements in tall vases or bowls, Ohara made a suiban or water basin so he could arrange his flowers on a horizontal plane the way they grew in nature. His work was censured by critics and the other ikebana artists of the time because it was too avant-garde. It was not considered acceptable ikebana. Ironically, at the very same time, on the other side of the world in Europe, another group of rebels, the impressionists and post impressionists (Cezanne, Van Gogh, Seurat, Lautrec, Matisse, etc.) were also bucking the art establishment. Their work was panned by critics just as Ohara’s ikebana arrangements done in a suiban were and not considered good “art”. Ohara persisted in his ikebana vision and developed what is known as the moribana form. All the schools of ikebana today have a version of this form using a suiban in their repertoire of arrangements. Unshin Ohara developed quite a following because of his unique approach to ikebana and founded his own school of ikebana in 1895: The Ohara School. In the past, ikebana was only allowed to be practiced by the Buddhist monks and upper class of society. Ohara did public demonstrations and offered guidelines in an instructional manual to help the ordinary person make ikebana arrangements at home. Thus, the title of the Ohara textbook: Ikebana For Everybody.
One hundred years later, the current young headmaster Hiroki Ohara is an avant garde ikebana master of the 21st century. He is challenging the world of ikebana with his sculptural ikebana arrangements. It is ikebana without any rules regarding materials, containers or shape. The genre is meant to be a meditative expression of the inner self. It requires reflection and creative energy to convey a simple message which the artist feels passionate about. Once a year those interested - all levels of ikebana study - are invited to submit a sculptural arrangement at Ohara headquarters in Japan. The only rule for entry is that each work must fit within a space that is approximately 6ft by 6ft or 180cm by 180cm. Although ikebana is never a competition these sculptural arrangements will be considered and evaluated on the basis of how well they evoke an emotion and/or convey a message.
