Ruth Asawa
Encyclopedia
Ruth Asawa is a Japanese American
sculptor. In San Francisco
, she has been called the "fountain lady" for her works that include the mermaid fountain at Ghirardelli Square
. In 2010, the San Francisco School of the Arts was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in honor of Asawa.
, one of seven children. Her father operated a truck farm until the Japanese American internment
during World War II. The family lived in the assembly center at the Santa Anita racetrack
for much of 1942, then at Rohwer War Relocation Center
in Arkansas
.
Following graduation from the internment center's high school, she attended Milwaukee State Teachers College
, intending to become an art teacher. Unable to get hired for the requisite practice teaching to complete her degree, she left Wisconsin without a degree. (The degree was finally awarded to her in 1998.)
From 1946 to 1949, she studied at Black Mountain College
with Josef Albers
.
at the Whitney Museum of American Art
and in the 1955 São Paulo Art Biennial
.
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
sculptor. In San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, she has been called the "fountain lady" for her works that include the mermaid fountain at Ghirardelli Square
Ghirardelli Square
Ghirardelli Square is a landmark with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, California, USA. A portion of the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company....
. In 2010, the San Francisco School of the Arts was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in honor of Asawa.
Early life and education
Ruth Asawa was born in 1926 in Norwalk, CaliforniaNorwalk, California
Norwalk is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census, up from 103,298 at the 2000 census, making it the 58th most populous city in California and the 255th nationally....
, one of seven children. Her father operated a truck farm until the Japanese American internment
Japanese American internment
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps," in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on...
during World War II. The family lived in the assembly center at the Santa Anita racetrack
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
for much of 1942, then at Rohwer War Relocation Center
Rohwer War Relocation Center
The Rohwer War Relocation Center was a World War II Japanese American internment camp located in rural southeastern Arkansas, in Desha County. It was in operation from September 18, 1942 until November 30, 1944, and held as many as 8,475 Japanese Americans forcibly evacuated from California...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Following graduation from the internment center's high school, she attended Milwaukee State Teachers College
Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee
Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee was the predecessor institution of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.Founded in 1885 as Wisconsin State Normal School, it became Wisconsin State Teacher’s College in 1927, and Wisconsin State College–Milwaukee in 1951. Originally at a downtown site, the...
, intending to become an art teacher. Unable to get hired for the requisite practice teaching to complete her degree, she left Wisconsin without a degree. (The degree was finally awarded to her in 1998.)
From 1946 to 1949, she studied at Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College
Black Mountain College, a school founded in 1933 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was a new kind of college in the United States in which the study of art was seen to be central to a liberal arts education, and in which John Dewey's principles of education played a major role...
with Josef Albers
Josef Albers
Josef Albers was a German-born American artist and educator whose work, both in Europe and in the United States, formed the basis of some of the most influential and far-reaching art education programs of the 20th century....
.
Career
Asawa's wire sculptures brought her prominence in the 1950s, when her work appeared several times in the annual exhibitionsWhitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
and in the 1955 São Paulo Art Biennial
São Paulo Art Biennial
The São Paulo Art Biennial was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennial , which serves as its role model....
.
Marriage and children
Asawa married architect Albert Lanier in July 1949. The couple has six children: Xavier (1950), Aiko (1950), Hudson (1952), Adam (1956), Addie (1958), and Paul (1959).Selected works
- Andrea, the mermaid fountain at Ghirardelli SquareGhirardelli SquareGhirardelli Square is a landmark with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, California, USA. A portion of the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company....
(1966); - the Hyatt on Union Square Fountain (1973)
- the Buchanan Mall (Nihonmachi) Fountains (1976)
- Aurora, the origami-inspired fountain on the San Francisco waterfront (1986)
- the Japanese-American Internment Memorial Sculpture in San Jose (1994).
Awards
- 1968: First Dymaxion Award for Artist/Scientist
- 1974: Gold Medal from the American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of ArchitectsThe American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
- 1990: San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Cyril Magnin Award
- 1993: Honor Award from the Women's Caucus for the Arts
- 1995: Asian American Art Foundations Golden Ring Lifetime Achievement Award
Film
- Snyder, Robert, producer (1978) Ruth Asawa: On Forms and Growth. Pacific Palisades, cA: Masters and Masterworks Production.
Further reading
- Abrahamson, Joan and Sally Woodridge (1973) The Alvarado School Art Community Program. San Francisco: Alvarado School Workshop.
- Bancroft Library (1990) "Ruth Asawa, Art, Competence and Citywide Cooperation for San Francisco,", in The Arts and the Community Oral History Project. University of California, Berkeley.
- Cook, Mariana (2000) Couples. Chronicle Books.
- Cornell, Daniell et al. (2006) The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air. University of California PressUniversity of California PressUniversity of California Press, also known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish books and papers for the faculty of the University of California, established 25 years earlier in 1868...
. - Cunningham, ImogenImogen CunninghamImogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her photography of botanicals, nudes and industry.-Life and career:...
(1970) Photographs, Imogen Cunningham. University of Washington Press. - Dobbs, Stephen (1981) Community and Commitment: An Interview with Ruth Asawa," in Art Education vol 34 no 5.
- Faul, Patricia et al. (1995) The New Older Woman. Celestial Arts.
- Harris, Mary Emma (1987) The Arts at Black Mountain College. MIT Press.
- Hopkins, Henry and Mimi Jacobs (1982) 50 West Coast Artists. Chronicle Books.
- Jepson, Andrea and Sharon Litsky (1976) The Alvarado Experience. Alvarado Art Workshop.
- Rountree, Cathleen (1999) On Women Turning 70: Honoring the Voices of Wisdom. Jossey-Bass.
- Rubinstein, Charlotte Streifer (1992) American Women Sculptors. G.K. Hall.
- San Francisco Museum of Art. (1973) Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective View. San Francisco Museum of Art.
- Schatz, Howard (1992) Gifted Woman. Pacific Photographic Press.
- Villa, Carlos et al. (1994) Worlds in Collision: Dialogues on Multicultural Art Issues. San Francisco Art Institute.
- Woodridge, Sally (1973) Ruth Asawa’s San Francisco Fountain. San Francisco Museum of Art.
External links
- Ruth Asawa on The California Museum's California Legacy Trail
- Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albet Lanier, 2002 June 21-Jul 5 from the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtArchives of American ArtThe Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...