Ruth Asawa
Ruth Asawa (born January 27, 1926) 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.[3] In 2010, the San Francisco School of the Arts was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in honor of Asawa.[4]
Biography
Early life and education
Ruth Asawa was born in 1926 in Norwalk, California, 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.[5]
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.)[6]
From 1946 to 1949, she studied at Black Mountain College with Josef Albers.[7]
Career
Asawa's wire sculptures brought her prominence in the 1950s, when her work appeared several times in the annual exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and in the 1955 São Paulo Art Biennial.[8]
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 Square (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 Architects
- 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.
References
- ^ a b c California Births, 1905 - 1995, Ruth Aiko Asawa – Birth Date: 01/27/1926, County of Birth: Los Angeles (Norwalk)
- ^ Ruth Asawa (2002). Interview with Paul Karlstrom. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/asawa02.htm.
- ^ Asawa has helped mold cultural life of city, Annie (2003-04-29). San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/29/DD15351.DTL.
- ^ Jill Tucker; " S.F. school board votes to send pink out slips. San Francisco Chronicle; February 24, 2010.
- ^ Ollman, Leach (2007-05-01). "The Industrious Line". Art in America. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-31332091_ITM.
- ^ Auer, James (1998-12-18). "Artist's return remedies a postwar injustice". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. NewsBank document ID 0EB82C32E269DCB3.
- ^ "The College Died, but the Students Really Lived". The New York Times. 1992-03-14. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D91E3EF937A25750C0A964958260.
- ^ Baker, Kenneth (2006-11-18). "An overlooked sculptor's work weaves its way into our times". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/18/DDG2BMEJDN1.DTL&type=art.
Each One Teach One: The Alvarado School Art Program dir. Valerie Soe and Ruth Asawa 2003 23 min.
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 Press.
- Cunningham, Imogen (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
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San Francisco Bay Area portal |
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Biography portal |
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Asian Americans portal |
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Japan portal |
| Persondata |
| Name |
Asawa, Ruth |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
January 27, 1926 |
| Place of birth |
Norwalk, California |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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