“It’s like a drawing in space,” Ruth Asawa said of her wire sculptures.
I recently stumbled on this wonderful picture book biography of artist Ruth Asawa (written by Joan Schoettler and illustrated by Traci Van Wagoner). Her amazing wire sculptures are in museums around the world and her water fountain designs in San Francisco are cherished and celebrated.
Growing up on a farm in California, Ruth Asawa observed and explored the wonderful details that surrounded her: dragonfly wings, spider webs, how the earth accepted the wavy lines her toes made. She was constantly making things out of whatever she could find. She attended Japanese school on Saturdays and loved learning about Japanese calligraphy. Unfortunately, WWII crashed into Ruth’s life, sending her family on a difficult journey. Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during the war and Ruth’s family was no exception. But Ruth kept learning, exploring, and experimenting with her art. In time, she was given a scholarship to attend Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she studied art with other artists and thinkers.
Thankful for her own art education, Ruth later cofounded the Alvarado School Arts Workshops and started the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of Arts. She was known for including children in her own projects. She made sure her first water fountain commission would inspire the children of San Francisco and beyond. It’s no wonder the “Fountain Lady” of San Francisco is still beloved today.