Weaving Time: NUNO - Textiles of Tradition and Transformation

NUNO, the Tokyo-based contemporary textile studio, is showing at the Portland Japanese Garden from October 3, 2026, through February 14, 2027. The exhibition, Weaving Time: NUNO - Textiles of Tradition and Transformation, is spread across two spaces: the Pavilion Gallery and the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery.

It's a site-specific installation, so the work is built around the architecture. In the Pavilion Gallery, you'll find suspended textile-cube sculptures and a touch wall. On the West Veranda, semi-translucent noren curtains hang in the open air. The Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery holds back-lit byoubu folding screens, crafted by master woodworker Chuzo Tozawa. The whole thing is part of Portland TextileX Month, a festival run by Textile Hive to bring together local textile enthusiasts, artists, and cultural organizations.

NUNO itself has been around since 1984, founded by designer Junichi Arai. Reiko Sudō took over as design director in 1987, and she's the one who blends Japan's traditional dyeing and weaving practices with modern technology and materials. Her work is in the permanent collections of MoMA and the Met in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, London's Victoria & Albert Museum, and Tokyo's National Museum of Modern Art. She's received the Mainichi Design Award, the Japan Interior Design Award, and the Award for Arts Encouragement from Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. She also advises MUJI on sustainable fabric and clothing manufacturing and is Professor Emerita at Tokyo Zokei University. The studio has produced more than 2,500 textiles, all made in Japan.

Admission to the exhibition is included with your daily garden entry. You can find it at the Portland Japanese Garden, 611 SW Kingston Ave., Portland, OR 97205, running from October 3 through February 14.