Visitors to Pasadena’s landmark Gamble House this spring can explore how Japanese bamboo basketry has shifted from everyday craft to sculptural art within the Arts and Crafts interiors of the Greene and Greene masterpiece.
“From Strand to Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Basketry” presents works “from precise and contained vessels to dramatic sculptural forms that show the expressive power of bamboo,” all “chosen with the theme of the elements,” echoing the house’s nature-inspired design.
Exhibition materials note that “The Gamble House and the art form of Japanese bamboo basketry share common themes: both represent a compelling intersection of art and craft, and of function and sculpture.”
The show includes pieces on loan from the collections of Carl and Marilynn Thoma and the Thoma Foundation in Dallas, Texas.
The centerpiece public program is an open house and lecture on Saturday, Feb. 28.
A self-guided tour of the exhibition runs from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a lecture from bamboo art expert Robert Coffland from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., with a Zoom option also offered.
Coffland, founder of TAI Gallery (now TAI Modern) in Santa Fe and now president of Textile Arts, Inc., will discuss the evolution of Japanese bamboo art from functional baskets to sculptural forms.
“From Strand to Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Basketry” open house and lecture will run on Saturday, Feb. 28, with a self-guided tour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and a lecture from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place in Pasadena. For more call (626) 793-3334 or visit https://114058.blackbaudhosting.com/114058/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=cdd91d5a-6043-407f-8a98-6133459f320b. Tickets: $20 public, $15 members (in-person); $8 public, free for members (Zoom).
