Ruth Asawa, c. 1950's with her wire sculptures
On August 6, 2013 the art world lost a bright light. Ruth Asawa was 87 years old when she passed away at her home in San Francisco. She left behind a not only a legacy of amazing and beautiful artwork, but of activism in arts education. She is a model for all who have come after her, a true inspiration.
Ruth Asawa, c. 1980's-1990's with several of her sculptures
Ruth Aiko Asawa was born on January 24, 1926 in Norwalk, CA. She was the fourth of seven children. In 1942 the Asawa Family was forcibly interned with some 120,000 Japanese Americans. Ruth Asawa's father was taken at that time by the FBI and was not seen again by the family for 6 years, until 1948. Her family first lived in internment in the horse stables at Santa Anita Racetrack. They were later sent to Rohwer, Arkansas where Ruth began to study art with other artist internees, some of which had worked for Disney as animators.
A bright student, Ruth Asawa graduated from high school in the Rohwer Camp and received a scholarship to attend the Wisconsin State Teacher's College where she studied to become an art teacher. Due to prejudice against Japanese Americans at the time, Asawa could not get a teaching assignment to complete her degree.
Instead of letting this road block defeat her, Asawa switched gears and left Wisconsin to attend the now legendary Black Mountain College in North Carolina. For three years Ruth Asawa studied with some of the most incredible 20th c. luminaries in architecture, visual and performance art, including the father of Modern color theory Josef Albers who would become her mentor. After a trip in 1947 to Mexico where Asawa learned how to crochet metal wire, she showed a piece she was working on to Albers who told her, "keep making those!" (per Paul Lanier, son, 2013 NPR interview)
Ruth Asawa, c. 1940's-50's working on her wire sculptures
http://www.npr.org/2013/08/09/210570882/ruth-asawa-found-her-artistic-calling-in-an-internment-camp
Ruth Asawa met Albert Lanier (1927-2008), an architect and illustrator, at Black Mountain College. Against their families' wishes they married and moved to San Francisco in 1949 where they hoped they would be accepted. Ruth and Albert's first home was a loft over an onion warehouse. Between 1950-59 Ruth and Albert had 6 children. Money was tight for the young couple and Albert had to work various drafting jobs to make ends meet. Ruth worked in her home studio while juggling the demands of child care and her artwork. Many of her most incredible wire sculptures were made during this time- she worked early mornings, nights and weekends. My hero!
building the sculpture in her studio, c. 1950's
Untitled, c. 1950-55 iron wire detail
Untitled, c. 1955-59 galvinized steel & copper wire detail
In the late 1960's Ruth Asawa became an advocate for Arts Education in San Francisco. With very little money, she co-founded The Alvarado Arts Workshop for school age children which soon spread to several SF schools. Alvarado's core belief was that children could learn to be creative thinkers and problem solvers through the experience of gardening and art making. In 1973 Asawa helped to organize MADDS- Music, Art, Dance, Drama, Science- Festival for school age children in SF. Ruth Asawa turned her energies to high school education in 1985, and co-founded the public high school- School of the Arts (SOTA) in San Francisco's Diamond Heights/Twin Peaks area. It was named for her in 2010- Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts.
Ruth Asawa's Advocacy for the Arts:
Appointed-1968- San Francisco Arts Commission 1976- California Arts Council 1977- National Endowment for the Arts 1989-1997 Trustee Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (donates many works to the W. H. de Young Museum)
Ruth Asawa's Public Commissions (large scale works in bronze & steel):
*Andrea, 1966 Ghiradelli Square Fountain, SF, CA *Hyatt Union Square Fountain, 1973- OF NOTE: this is a large work in bronze which Asawa had children help her build in the initial stages. Recently Apple Corp. tried to have this sculpture removed to build an Apple Store. They received so many protests that they finally agreed to let it remain- yay for art triumphing! *Aurora, 1986 San Francisco Waterfront *Japanese Internment Memorial Sculpture, 1994 San Jose, CA *Garden of Rememberance, 2002, San Francisco State University, SF, CA
Ruth Asawa next to Hyatt Union Square Fountain, c. 1970's detail
Aurora, 1986 origami inspired public sculpture
Ruth Asawa's exhibitions include group and solo shows at the Whitney Museum, NY, MOMA in NY, LACMA, the Oakland Museum, SFMOMA, and the W.H. de Young Museum. Her first major solo retrospective was in 1973 at SFMOMA. Since then she has had seven more solo retrospectives including one this year at Christie's in New York.
Ruth Asawa in studio, c. 1959 Untitled, 1959 moneil wire de Young Museum
I made this particularly long post because even though I had gone to art school in San Francisco, and have seen Ruth Asawa's work over the years, I knew very little about this remarkable woman until recently. I believe her story should be told again & again.
Ruth Asawa's life & work will have a profound effect on generations to come, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. She will be forever missed...
3 works above all: Untitled, 1950-59, steel & copper wire de Young Museum + detail
**Currently, Asawa has several wire sculptures on view at the de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They are remarkable, gorgeous, well worth seeing in person- photos do not do them justice!**
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