Post 3 from the Studios of Inspiration series.
Today, we're going to dive into Ruth Asawa's studio! I think Ruth Asawa is one of the most inspiring artists of all time because she shatters the mythos of the solo tortured artist. She made work at home with her six children around her! Her work could be found in the living room, kitchen, and studio. She was a prolific artist, her squirreled-away work is still being found by her six children today! But first, a little background on the artist:
Asawa was born to Japanese immigrant parents and grew up during WWI. She and her family were placed in the Japanese internment camps. Except for Ruth's father, the family was removed from their farm in California and interned at an assembly center for about a year before they were moved to a camp in Arkansas. Ruth's father was arrested by FBI agents in February 1942 and interned at a detention camp in New Mexico. For six months the Asawa family did not know if he was alive or dead and she did not see her father for six years.
Despite these horrors, her art blossomed. She drew for hours. A few Disney animators at the camp would distract the children with art lessons.
After leaving the camps, the restrictions of racism followed her - from college in Wisconsin, to traveling through the south, and art classes in Mexico. She planed to become an art teacher. She later reflected on this time with grace, "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." While there, she took courses on a variety of subjects and mediums which pushed her art practice further.
She developed her wire sculpture technique, beginning in the 50's with crochet. On a trip to Mexico, she saw villagers weaving baskets from galvanized wire.
"I was interested in it because of the economy of a line, making something in space, enclosing it without blocking it out. It's still transparent. I realized that if I was going to make these forms, which interlock and interweave, it can only be done with a line because a line can go anywhere."
Her greatest artistic asset was her sense of discovery. She used found natural objects to make work as a poor college student and this sense of experimentation is what makes her such a fantastic artist.
In July 1949 Asawa married architect Albert Lanier, whom she met in 1947 at Black Mountain College. Their interracial marriage was illegal at the time in all but two states, California and Washington. So they moved to San Fransico where her art career grew, they raised six children together, and she became passionate about public service and art education activism. (And shout out to her husband who always supported her work and pitched in with childcare!!)
Ruth Asawa died at the age of 87 in 2013. Leaving behind a legacy of great work, admiring children, and a city who benefited from not only her work but her activism.
Okay, okay, on to the studio!!
She strung her wire sculptures from the rafters—some finished, others still in progress. She would sit beneath them as she wove, her children climbing over and around her. Most have gone to the De Young Museum now, though the nails they hung from remain.
I love to peek inside of artist's homes, Asawa's has such a creative magic to it! And from interviews with her children, it sounds like such an inspiring place to be. Her husband played his music for her while she worked. The kids were encouraged to create often. Her work was in every nook and cranny.
Those high ceilings are perfect for her work! I can only imagine living in a home as beautiful as this! That's what daydreaming is for...
