The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

A paper mulberry bark and thread robe features wide, rectangular sleeves and an open, gridlike lattice across the upper shoulders. The lower portion consists of solid, vertically grained fiber ending in a frayed hem. A matching bark sash is tied across the center with the knot to the right. The garment is a muted tan with a textured, fibrous surface that highlights its organic composition and delicate, hand-crafted openwork.

Phloem

2023

Aimee Lee

(American, b. 1977)
America
Beaten and laced paper mulberry bark, and thread
Overall: 139.7 x 142.2 x 7.6 cm (55 x 56 x 3 in.)
Gift of Ingrid Luders 2024.139
© Aimee Lee
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Phloem is made of hammered and laced mulberry bark.

Description

For this work, the artist experimented with combining the traditional Mesoamerican and Korean papermaking techniques. The method involves creating grids of bark and hammering them to create a full sheet, drawing inspiration from amatl, or amate, a bark substrate made and used extensively in Mesoamerica (especially Mexico, by both the Maya and Aztecs), while the method of creating bark threads and twisting them is drawn from traditional Korean methods.
  • 2023–2024
    Collection of the Artist, sold to Ingrid Luders as gift for the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2024
    Ingrid Luders, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2024–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 28-October 13, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Phloem|url=false|author=Aimee Lee|year=2023|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.139