Radical collaboration blossomed this spring as the Department of Asian Studies partnered with the Vanderbilt Facilities Maintenance and Operations Grounds team to bring locally sourced branches into floral arrangements for the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival. Collecting from the arboretum’s seasonal prunings, the project connected the stewardship of our landscape to the celebration and appreciation of Japanese culture.
The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual celebration of spring and Japanese culture through a series of events, local vendors, and a 2.5-mile walk. Through this event, organizers have planted over 1,000 cherry blossom trees throughout Nashville.
Hideko Shimizu, senior lecturer in Asian studies, was invited to lead a floral arrangement workshop at the festival because she teaches floral arrangement as a practice grounded in balance and harmony, alongside Tai Chi professors. She connected with the grounds team for her workshop to explore using natural materials sourced from campus.
“I want to show the different type of flower arrangement to the American people, and it’s interesting to really have a cultural background, one of the Japanese cultures,” Shimizu said.
By using campus-grown materials in a cultural celebration, Shimizu’s workshop highlighted the harmony possible between tradition and collective effort. It is another way Vanderbilt continues to create a bridge between the community and the university.
“It’s been a great joy working with Professor Hideko,” said Laura Barker, assistant grounds manager. “She is so respectful to our trees. She has ideas of what kind of tree branch she’s looking for or says, ‘I would like an evergreen or something in bloom.’ We have such a vast inventory that I know where to look. She always shows me what she has created or what she has taught the students who take her class. I love helping her bring it all full circle.”
Learn more about the arboretum, and see it in action by following @vutrees on Instagram for updates, highlights, and behind-the-scenes looks.