The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 10, 2026

A woven textile of indigo-dyed mosquito netting features five joined vertical panels patterned with columns of large beige circles. Each panel contains eleven flat circles against a dark indigo background. The semi-transparent mesh reveals subtle vertical bands where the dye saturation varies. The composition is dominated by the rhythmic, vertical alignment of the beige circles, which creates a series of uniform, translucent stripes across the sheer fabric.

Untitled Noren Partition (23)

2009

Rowland Ricketts

(American, b. 1971)
America
indigo dyed antique mosquito netting in plain weave, paste resist
Overall: 170.2 x 184.2 cm (67 x 72 1/2 in.)
Gift of The Textile Art Alliance 2012.50
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Ricketts grows, harvests, and processes all of his indigo dyes naturally.

Description

Ricketts designs textiles using the same techniques Japanese indigo workers perfected over centuries. The doorway curtain, or noren, first appeared in Japan during the Heian Period (794–1185). These colorful curtains often adorn the outside of shops and buildings throughout Japan and signify to the customer what types of goods or services are inside. Ricketts subverts the use of noren as an object that separates spaces by using his weaving and dyeing process to connect himself and his viewers to thousands of years of traditional crafting.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 53 no. 02, March/April 2013 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 21 archive.org
  • Contemporary Art Rotation - Spring 2022. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 1-September 25, 2022).
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled Noren Partition (23)|url=false|author=Rowland Ricketts|year=2009|access-date=10 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.50