How to Become a Member of the Triangle Bonsai Society

Updated

You can join the Triangle Bonsai Society (TBS) by using the "Become A Member" or "JOIN NOW" links on its website, trianglebonsai.com. Before committing, you can attend a monthly general meeting first — meetings are open to the public, while workshops and classes are reserved for members. This makes TBS a low-pressure option if you want to see how the club operates before paying dues.

What TBS Is

TBS is a bonsai club centered in North Carolina's Triangle region, with active members living throughout the eastern half of the state. It promotes bonsai through meetings, lectures, workshops, and demonstrations, and it brings in local, regional, national, and international bonsai artists.

The club describes itself as dedicated to helping enthusiasts both get started and advance their skills, so it isn't aimed only at experienced growers.

What Membership Gets You

The clearest membership benefit stated on the site is access to workshops and classes, which are reserved for members. Monthly general meetings are open to the public, so those alone don't require membership.

Activity Open to public?
Monthly general meeting Yes
Workshops and classes Members only

Guest-artist programming is part of the club's regular activity. For example, the site lists Tyler Sherrod — who apprenticed with Shinji Suzuki in Japan for five years and runs a studio in Hickory, NC — as the guest artist for a September meeting, leading two workshops the day before (a morning Hinoki Cypress workshop and an afternoon BYOT, or "bring your own tree," workshop).

How to Join

  1. Go to trianglebonsai.com.
  2. Use the "Become A Member" or "JOIN NOW" link.
  3. Complete the signup through that link.

The site does not publish dues amounts or payment details in the material available here, so check the membership page itself for current cost and payment method rather than assuming.

A Suggested Path: Try Before You Join

TBS explicitly invites prospective members to attend a meeting and then decide whether to join. If you're unsure, this sequence works well:

  1. Attend a monthly general meeting as a public guest.
  2. Talk with members and see whether the club's focus matches your interests.
  3. Sign up through the membership link if it does.

Note that if you want to take part in a workshop — including guest-artist workshops like the ones described above — you'll need to be a member, and some workshops require separate signup.

Practical Details

  • Meeting location (as listed): Raleigh Police Club, 3500 Leonard Rd, Knightdale, NC 27545.
  • Meeting time (as listed): 1:30 PM on the scheduled Sunday.
  • Who joins: Members are spread across the eastern half of North Carolina, not just the immediate Triangle, so distance from Raleigh isn't necessarily a barrier.
  • Where to verify current info: The events calendar and newsletter links on the site, since meeting dates and guest artists change over time.