Ruth Asawa

Ruth Asawa's life reads like a novel. Born in 1926 she grew up in a small farming community in Southern California, because of the discriminatory laws at that time Ruth's parents (Japanese immigrants) were not allowed to become American citizens nor own land in California. In 1929 the Great Depression struck and for the next twelve years there was poverty and despair for a number of Americans. When Ruth was 16 years old her father was arrested by FBI agents and her family was interned along with 120,000 other people of Japanese ancestry who were living on the West Coast of the United States. It was not until six years later that Ruth would see her father again. This is what Ruth had to say about this experience: "I hold no hostilities for what happened; I blame no one. Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not been for the Internment, and I like who I am."

In 1946-49 Ruth went to Black Mountain College near Asheville North Carolina and studied under Josef Albers, one of the most prestigious teacher in American Art, a pioneer of the twentieth-century modernism. Josef had gone to the famous school in Germany called the Bauhaus in the 1920's and as a student was asked to join the faculty. By 1933 he had become known as a best-known artist and teacher.

Ruth met Albert Lanier at Black Mountain College and in 1949 they decided to married and live in San Francisco California because they felt this city to be more tolerant of a interracial couple and for the city's arts community.

Ruth has exhibited her work in museums across the country. Her work spans a lifetime of accomplishments experimenting with many mediums, such as wire, paper, steel, plastic and plaster.



Plastic wall covering Based on Paper fold. 1950's Module 1'x 3'.



Tied Wire sculpture, 1995


In the 1950's Ruth focused on experimenting with wire crochet sculptures because she could carry it around while watching her six children. They are made from copper, brass, iron and other types of wires. The basic technique for making these sculptures was learned while on a trip to Mexico in 1947. The Mexican villagers crocheted galvanized wire to make egg baskets. The distinct hourglass form she is known for can be seen over and over in her many designs, this comes from her earliest childhood memories while being on the farm.