Japanese textile has never lost its craft spirit after industrialization. A celebrated cultural observer with a deep connection with Japan and the editor of the new book, NUNO: Visionary Japanese Textiles, Naomi Pollock, explores the creative world-vision of one of Japan’s most inventive textile design studios through a captivating dialogue with Anne Higonnet (Art historian and professor at Barnard College/Columbia University).

For nearly four decades, NUNO Corp., headed by Reiko Sudo, has been trailblazing the world of Japanese textile art by refashioning the traditional textile-making through their innovative yet highly collaborative approach, rejuvenating the centuries-old craftsmanship while helping preserve it.

This free webinar, commemorating the book launch of NUNO: Visionary Japanese Textiles is co-organized by publisher Thames & Hudson and Portland Japanese Garden, and is open to the public through the registration link below. 

If you are interested in buying the book, it is available for purchase in the Garden Gift Shop. If you’re unable to visit in person, call (503) 223-5055 and a member of our staff will happily assist you.

About the Speakers

Naomi Pollock is an American architect and author who writes about design and architecture in Japan. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College in Classics, an M.Arch from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and a Masters in Engineering from Tokyo University. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications on both sides of the Pacific, including A+U, Dwell, Jutakutokushu, Kinfolk, Wallpaper*, and Architectural Record, for whom she is the Special International Correspondent. Her article “Portland Japanese Garden Cultural Village by Kengo Kuma & Associates” appeared in Architectural Record’s August 2017 issue. In addition to editing NUNO: Visionary Japanese Textiles, she has written several books, including Modern Japanese House, Made in Japan: 100 New Products, Jutaku: Japanese Houses, Sou Fujimoto and Japanese Design Since 1945: A Complete Sourcebook. She was also the co-author of New Architecture in Japan and a contributor to Shigeru Ban: Humanitarian Architecture.

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Anne Higonnet is now Professor of Art History at Barnard College of Columbia University. She received her BA from Harvard College in 1980 and her PhD from Yale University in 1988. Her work has been supported by Getty, Guggenheim, and Social Science Research Council fellowships, as well as by grants from the Mellon, Howard and Kress Foundations. In 2019-2020 she was a Fellow at the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute. She has published many essays, five print books, and two book-scale digital projects, is a prize-winning teacher, and has lectured widely, including in the Live Arts program of the Met Museum. One of her courses, Clothing, is among the most popular at Barnard and Columbia. She is now writing a book under contract with Norton about the fashion part of the French Revolution.

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