Edited by Randi Bjornstad

The exhibit now on display at the White Lotus Gallery through Nov. 25 at downtown Eugene’s White Lotus Gallery is a departure from many of its shows that feature various types of art created by skilled Asian as well as museum-represented U.S. artists.

Internationally recognized NUNO textiles range from clothing to art to home decoration.

Yes, this display also features work by talented artisans, but these are working with textiles, showing the beauty of cloth created in Japan by a company called NUNO, which simply means “cloth” in Japanese.

Now more than 35 years old, NUNO was the dream of a world-recognized textile designer named Reiko Sudo, who joined with another textile professional, Jun’ichi Arai. The two combined their talents to find people throughout villages in Japan who still carry on the centuries-old traditions of spinning, dyeing, and weaving cloth to be used in both clothing and fabrics for interior decoration.

However, this enterprise is by no means lost in the past. The long history of cloth production has been updated with the use of modern materials, such as synthetics, as well as the latest in manufacturing technology that allows them to be available beyond the market for handcrafts.

Suko describes the enterprise this way:

Part of the NUNO textile exhibit at White Lotus Gallery

At NUNO, textiles are our language, our inspiration, our aspiration. Textiles tell our story. When we create our textiles, nature and tradition are woven with technology. When we see our textiles, a moment of the future is glimpsed. When we touch our textiles, they breathe, and we feel at ease. When we listen to the language of textiles, the message is beautiful.

The result has been a recognition of not only the beauty and feel but also an international appreciation of the melding of ancient skill and modern technique. NUNO creations are included in the permanent collections of some of the world’s major museums, including the Victoria & Albert in London, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum, all in New York City, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

NUNO, an exhibit of world-class textiles

When: Through Nov. 25, 2023

Where: White Lotus Gallery, 767 Willamette St., Eugene

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

Information: Telephone 541-345-3276; email Lin@wlotus.com; online at wlotus.com