Skip to content

Keyword

Nature by Design: Katagami

Start Date 30 March 2019
End Date 27 October 2019
Venue Cooper Hewitt Museum, Smithsonian Design Museum
Location New York, USA
Curator Julia Siemon
Exhibition display of garments suspended in the air

This exhibition highlights the traditional Japanese craft of katagami: paper stencils carved by master artisans for use in decorating textiles. These stencils often take nature as their subject, and are made from natural materials. Cooper Hewitt’s collection of katagami mostly dates to the late Edo (1603-1868) and Meiji (1868-1912) eras, when the craft was at its height. The works on view demonstrate a range of styles and cutting techniques, reflecting the great expressive potential of the medium.

Image courtesy of Cooper Hewitt Museum, Smithsonian Design Museum