On Feb. 5, 2026, the Gamble House will premiere From Strand to Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Basketry, an exhibition of bamboo art crafted by highly skilled and specialized Japanese artists, featuring pieces on loan from the collections of Carl and Marilynn Thoma and the Thoma Foundation in Dallas, Texas.

Running through Apr. 12, 2026, this will be the fourth contemporary art overlay presented at the Gamble House over the past twelve years. Visitors will be surprised and delighted by the mastery of the art form on display, and by the variety of works, from precise and contained vessels to dramatic sculptural forms that show the expressive power of bamboo. All have been chosen with the theme of the elements, echoing the importance of nature as a theme in the design of the Gambles’ home.

The Gamble House is a natural venue for the display of many types of Japanese art due to the inspiration that architects Charles and Henry Greene drew from the art and design of Japan. Charles Greene, in particular, felt this connection deeply in his artistic and spiritual life over many decades. They shared this interest in Asia with their clients, David and Mary Gamble of Cincinnati, Ohio, who commissioned the home from Greene & Greene. With the house under construction in 1908, David and Mary Gamble and their two teenaged sons traveled to Japan, China, and Korea over a period of several months. The family returned with a much richer understanding of the Japanese elements that Greene & Greene had drawn from in their design, and which gave the firm’s work such distinct character on the American scene at the time.

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. In contrast to a conventional gallery setting, the Gamble House will provide an intriguing environment for the display of works of bamboo art with the richness of its wood surfaces, enveloping spaces, and gently glowing light.