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Instructor Spotlight: Midori Tanimune

Midori Tanimune may have only been teaching ikebana at Longwood Gardens for the past 9 years, but she has been studying ikebana—the Japanese arrangement of flowers—since the young age of 11 in her home country of Japan through private lessons and in school where ikebana is part of the curriculum.

“Through ikebana, my life has been enriched from teaching, sharing experiences, and developing new friendships, which broaden my views and understanding of people in a culture different from mine. Ikebana provided an inroad for me to share what I love with others when I came to America,” says Tanimune who now is a resident of Wilmington, Delaware.
 
Tanimune teaches many classes for Longwood's Continuing Education program, including Introduction to Ikebana and Falling in Love with Ikebana. Additionally, on Saturday, March 26 Tanimune will teach a floral arranging class called Simply Orchids. A limited number of spaces are still available, click here to register online or call 610-388-5454.

About the goals she has for her students in this upcoming orchid floral design class, she says, “My hope is that my students can learn to look at an orchid plant differently, and use this new point of view to showcase orchids in new, various ways.”
 
Teaching ikebana and orchid floral design is in Tanimune’s blood. Tanimune earned her first teaching certificate during her senior year of high school, but continues to study her art today.

“Ikebana is a lifelong art,” says Tanimune who most enjoys using a wide range of materials to create original, one-of-a-kind arrangements. “I earned my first certificate when I was very young, and I continue to take lessons to this day.”
 
Tanimune says teaching ikebana at Longwood Gardens and sharing this art form with Longwood’s staff and students is an exceptionally rewarding experience. She says, “Nothing can make me happier than when I’m in class and I watch students develop their own styles and make ikebana their own. By viewing another person’s creation, I believe you can gain insight into their soul.”

Additionally,  Tanimune shares her passion of ikebana outside of Longwood Gardens. A few months ago, she was invited to teach a workshop to a small ikebana group in Richmond, Virginia. “Even though this group in Virginia had limited funds to host me, I was able to deliver a successful program. The students were so grateful that many have kept in touch with me via e-mail. They have re-invited me; this time for a three-day workshop this summer. In teaching and promoting ikebana, I meet many wonderful people and it opens doors that I would not have otherwise,” says Tanimune.

Another experience that inspired Tanimune occurred at an ikebana exhibition in Nagoya, Japan where she attended a conference with other ikebana participants from Japan.

“At the end of the lunch, I was taken aback when many participants that I have never met before invited me to their homes in Okinawa. You see, this is very unusual because Japanese families typically do not ever entertain in their homes. I was truly touched to get an invitation,” says Tanimune.