Who Is Ruth Asawa? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Ruth Asawa was born on January 24, 1926, in La Mesa, California, and passed away on August 5, 2013. She was a prominent American sculptor known for her intricate wire sculptures and dedication to public art. Asawa's work is celebrated for its organic forms and the role it plays in fostering community engagement through art. With a deep influence on the San Francisco art scene, her artistic philosophy intertwined with her activism for art education, particularly in schools.
| Occupation | Activists |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | January 24, 1926 |
| Age | 87 Years |
| Birth Place | Norwalk, California U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 5 August, 2013 |
| Died Place | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Popularity
Ruth Asawa's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While Ruth Asawa was not publicly known for her physical attributes as an artist, records indicate that she stood at an average height. Unfortunately, specific measurements regarding her weight or other physical statistics are not documented, as her prominence lies in her artistry rather than personal aesthetics.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Ruth Asawa was married to architect Albert Lanier, with whom she had three children. The couple maintained a strong partnership, both personally and professionally, sharing a commitment to arts and community. Despite her passing in 2013, Ruth's legacy continues to inspire many artists and art enthusiasts worldwide, and her family actively works to preserve her artistic contributions.
Her parents, immigrants from Japan, operated a truck farm until the Japanese American internment during World War II. Except for Ruth's father, the family was interned at an assembly center hastily set up at the Santa Anita racetrack for much of 1942, after which they were sent to Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas.
Ruth's father, Umakichi Asawa, was arrested by FBI agents in February 1942 and interned at a detention camp in New Mexico. For six months following, the Asawa family did not know if he was alive or dead. Asawa did not see her father for six years. Ruth's younger sister, Nancy (Kimiko), was visiting family in Japan when her family was interned.
She was unable to return, as the U.S. prevented entry even of American citizens from Japan. Nancy was forced to stay in Japan for the duration of the war. Asawa said about the internment:"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."
Net Worth and Salary
By the time of her passing in 2013, Ruth Asawa's net worth was estimated at several million dollars, attributed to her extensive body of work and significant commissions from museums and institutions. Asawa's artworks are highly sought after, and her sculptures fetch considerable prices in the art market, reflecting her status as a celebrated figure in contemporary sculpture.
Career, Business, and Investments
Ruth Asawa's career spanned decades, marked by numerous exhibitions and accolades. Her pioneering work with wire sculptures established her as a unique voice in the art world. Asawa was also an advocate for arts education, serving on various boards and contributing to school art programs. She established the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, emphasizing the importance of creativity in education. Through her art and advocacy, Asawa made significant investments in the future of arts, inspiring the generations to come.
Born in Norwalk, California in 1926, Asawa was the fourth of seven children born to Japanese immigrants. She grew up on a truck farm. In 1942, her family was separated when they were sent to different Japanese internment camps as a result of isolation policies for Japanese-Americans mandated by the U.S. government during World War II.
At Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas, Asawa learned drawing from illustrators interned at the camp.
In 1943, she was able to leave the camp to attend Milwaukee State Teachers College, where she hoped to become a teacher but was unable to complete her studies because her Japanese ancestry prevented her from obtaining a teaching position in Wisconsin.
Social Network
Ruth Asawa's legacy is preserved and promoted through various social media platforms and dedicated websites. Fans and art enthusiasts can find more about her work and influence on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, where her pieces and exhibitions are frequently highlighted. Additionally, institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) celebrate her contributions, showcasing her art and continuing the conversation around her work through community programs.
The summer before her final year in Milwaukee, Asawa traveled to Mexico with her older sister Lois (Masako). Asawa attended an art class at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; among her teachers was Clara Porset, an interior designer from Cuba.
A friend of artist Josef Albers, Porset told Asawa about Black Mountain College where he was teaching. Asawa recounted:"I was told that it might be difficult for me, with the memories of the war still fresh, to work in a public school. My life might even be in danger.
This was a godsend, because it encouraged me to follow my interest in art, and I subsequently enrolled at Black Mountain College in North Carolina."From 1946 to 1949, she studied at Black Mountain College with Josef Albers. Asawa learned to use commonplace materials from Albers and began experimenting with wire, using a variety of techniques.
Like all Black Mountain College students, Asawa took courses across a variety of different art forms and this interdisciplinary approach helped to shape her artistic practice. Her study of drawing with Ilya Bolotowsky and Josef Albers was formative.
Her drawings from this time explore pattern and repetition, and she was especially intrigued by the meander as a motif.
She was particularly influenced by the summer sessions of 1946 and 1948, which featured courses by artist Jacob Lawrence, photography curator and historian Beaumont Newhall, Jean Varda, composer John Cage, choreographer Merce Cunningham, artist Willem de Kooning, sculptor Leo Amino, and R. Buckminster Fuller.
According to Asawa, the dance courses she took with Merce Cunningham were especially inspirational. In one class that included fellow student Rauschenberg Asawa reported that they ran down a large hill like it was a dance with flaming torches blasting Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
In contrast, Asawa described her experiences studying under Josef Albers as more formalist and what other students described as Fascist in demeanor and did not consider the feelings of his students in his teachings.
He preferred to teach exploration and discover through design rather than the regurgitated freeloaded knowledge taught by other academics. Asawa connected with this approach because of her family's cultural background and what she describes as an intolerance for emotion.
Education
Ruth Asawa attended the California School of Arts and Crafts (now known as the California College of the Arts), where she cultivated her love for sculpture and design. Following her education, she traveled to Mexico on a scholarship, where she was inspired by local artisans. This experience played a significant role in shaping her artistic approach, which celebrates craftsmanship and the interplay of culture and art.
In 1946, Asawa joined the avant-garde artistic community at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where she studied under the influential German-American Bauhaus painter and color theorist Josef Albers, as well as the American architect and designer Buckminster Fuller.
At Black Mountain College, Asawa began making looped-wire sculptures inspired by basket crocheting technique she learned in 1947 during a trip to Mexico.
In 1955, she held her first exhibition in New York and by the early 1960s, she had achieved commercial and critical success and became an advocate for public art according to her belief of "art for everyone".
She was the driving force behind the creation of the San Francisco School of the Arts, which was renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in 2010.
