Living Art Bonsai Society

Category: Clubs Also called: LABS; Living Art Bonsai Society (Huntsville, AL); livingartbonsaisociety.org Last checked: 2026-10-12

What it is

The Living Art Bonsai Society (LABS) is a non-profit bonsai club in Huntsville, Alabama. Its About page says LABS “was founded October 3, 2000” and is a registered non-profit organization. It meets on the third Saturday of the month at 1:00 PM at Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, in the Volunteer Classroom of the Linda J. Smith Building. A short business session is followed by a bonsai work session until 4:00 PM; members bring a tree to work on or discuss, alternating with presentations. The schedule page says “Everyone is welcome!” The October 2026 President’s Message gives annual dues of $30 per person or family. It is not a commercial nursery and not a botanic-garden tuition class series.

Who it’s for

North Alabama and southern Tennessee bonsai growers at every level, including beginners who want help with a first tree at an open Saturday work session, and members who want mentoring, visiting-artist workshops and a spring show. People who want a one-off ticketed class with no membership should look at Learning listings instead.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party club site. It prints a founding date, a standing meeting rule with venue, room and hours, dues, a dated fall 2026 schedule, named officers, a monthly President’s Message and pages for its 2026 show and Bonsai Day. It is not a Facebook-only club and not a scraped directory card.

Club identity (About page, checked 2026-10-12): founded October 3, 2000 (about 26 years ago, calculated from that date); registered non-profit. Objectives: to promote knowledge, interest, education and enjoyment of bonsai; encourage members’ collections and exhibitions; develop learning opportunities; and raise awareness through public demonstrations.
Officers (About page): Tim Doran, President; Roger Reyes, Vice President (also Webmaster); Don Sieja, Treasurer; Janet Gray, Secretary; Hannah Boulware, Social Media Coordinator. Club email: [email protected].
Membership (Home page, President’s Message – October 2026): annual dues $30 per person or family; members receive monthly newsletters, club events and community. A mentoring program is led by Tom Pendergrass.
Fall 2026 schedule (Schedule page and Home page):
- Saturday, October 17, 2026, 1:00–4:00 PM: monthly meeting, presentation on winter pruning techniques by Scott Horan, then work on trees.
- Friday–Saturday, November 6–7, 2026: “The Workshop” with John Walker; times TBD.
- Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:00–4:00 PM: “The Vote,” election of officers for 2027, then work on trees.
- December 2026: no monthly meeting.
Earlier 2026 activity (Schedule and show pages): monthly meetings from January; the LABS Show on May 16–17, 2026; a pottery demo on June 27; and a club tree display at Bonsai Day at Huntsville Botanical Garden on September 5, 2026.

Dates and dues above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Check the live schedule before you go.

Official URL

Official club site: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/

About, founding date and officers: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/about/
2026 meeting schedule: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/schedule/
Contact: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/contact/
2026 LABS Show: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/2026-labs-show/
2026 Bonsai Day at the Gardens: https://livingartbonsaisociety.org/2026-bonsai-day-the-gardens/

Location

Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, Volunteer Classroom in the Linda J. Smith Building. The site’s directions: from the Guest Center, take the first right in the traffic circle, park in the Dogwood Lot at the top of the hill, and go to the red brick building with the wooden ramp beside the pavilion; the classroom is the door on the right.

This is a club identity. Do not treat this card as a retail bonsai nursery or a ticketed class.

Notes

Category is Clubs. LABS runs meetings, work sessions, workshops and a show; it does not sell trees through a cart.
Garden admission: the site does not say whether Huntsville Botanical Garden admission is required to reach the meeting room. Ask the club before your first visit.
Workshop details: the November 6–7 John Walker workshop lists times as TBD and no fee or sign-up rule.
Dues source: the $30 figure comes from the October 2026 President’s Message on the home page. The Members Area page is password-protected and was not used.
Year check: Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 21, 2026 fall on Saturdays (third Saturdays), and Nov 6–7, 2026 is a Friday–Saturday, matching the schedule.
Geographic spread: Huntsville AL is the plaza’s first Alabama listing in any category. It stays clear of Fri TX / IA / AZ, Thu MO / KY / UT and Wed OR / GA / RI.
Listing image: first-party LABS 2026 header logo (livingartbonsaisociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/LABS-Logo-2026.jpg), converted to PNG, 1024×1024, saved beside this file as living-art-bonsai-society-logo.png.
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza.
No Bonsai Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where does the Living Art Bonsai Society meet?
A: On the third Saturday of the month, 1:00–4:00 PM, at Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, in the Volunteer Classroom of the Linda J. Smith Building. There is no December meeting.

Q: What are the next dated meetings?
A: The schedule (checked 2026-10-12) lists Saturday, October 17, 2026 (winter pruning with Scott Horan), a John Walker workshop on November 6–7, 2026, and Saturday, November 21, 2026 (election of 2027 officers).

Q: Can I visit before joining?
A: Yes. The schedule page says everyone is welcome, and the About page invites anyone interested to attend a meeting.

Q: How much is membership?
A: The October 2026 President’s Message gives annual dues of $30 per person or family.

Q: How long has LABS existed?
A: The About page says LABS was founded on October 3, 2000.