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Ruth Asawa, 1926-2013
Artist and arts education advocate Ruth Asawa was attracted to making art at an early age. In 1942, while being held in a temporary internment camp for Japanese Americans in Arcadia, California, she studied drawing and painting with professional artists who were also internees. A year later, Asawa received a scholarship to train as an art teacher. Because postwar prejudice toward Japanese Americans prevents her from finding a student-teaching placement, she was unable to complete her degree. Subsequent art studies at North Carolina's progressive Black Mountain College encouraged Asawa to become a sculptor. She married, settled in San Francisco and -- despite the demands of growing family -- pursued her career as an artist. Her early work showcased her technique for weaving coils of wire to create airy and evocative sculptures. Later, Asawa's scope expanded to include large-scale public art commissions, such as the Hyatt on Union Square Fountain (1973) in San Francisco.
Imogen Cunningham, 1956 |