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Our Beautiful Earth, 1994.
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Just before the end of the year DH and I went to the New England Quilt Museum, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to see an exhibit of quilts by artist Tomie Nagano. Ms. Nagano (born 1950) is originally from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and now splits her time between Dedham, Massachusetts and Hokkaido.
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Our Beautiful Earth, detail.
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| Windows, 1996. |
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Windows, detail.
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Double Irish Chain, 1998.
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Double Irish Chain, detail.
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She began making quilts when her mother gave her many old kimonos, indicating it was Tomie's task to give these family heirloom fabrics a new life, what we now call "upcycling". Ms. Nagano adapted several traditional American quilt patterns for the project of reusing and preserving these precious textiles, as well as other fabrics she collected. Every artifact is hand-stitched and hand-quilted by Ms. Nagano. And this is after the time-intensive work of deconstructing the old kimonos, or other garments, from which the fabrics are harvested. Most of the works in the exhibit date from the 1990's.
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Octagon Stripe, 1994.
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Octagon Stripe, detail.
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Many of the quilts feature primarily indigo fabrics, with accents of yellow and orange. The consistent color palette makes the overall exhibit very visually cohesive. Many Japanese textile processes are on view, too, including woven stripes, kasuri (like ikat weaving), and stencil resist printing.
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Gallery overview.
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Hiyakka Ryurun (100 Kimono Flowers Blooming), 1993.
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Hiyakka Ryurun, detail.
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Ms. Nagano works at a large scale, in the tradition of wall-covering tapestries, and her quilts have a lot of presence. Sometimes the quilts are paired, making them even more monumental. The paired quilts below were inspired by the Okhlotsk Sea, near her Hokkaido studio.
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Okhlotsk Blue 1 and 2, 1991.
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This should ensure the preservation of those fabrics so precious to her family, truly celebrating her mother's memory.
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Okhlotsk Blue 1 and 2, detail.
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