Ruth Asawa

Ruth Asawa was born 1926 in Norwalk, CA. She is known as a sculptor and referred to as the ""fountain lady"" for her many fountains. As a Japanese American, she and her family were interned during WWII, an experience she attributes to setting her on the path of becoming an artist.
Asawa attended Milwaukee State Teachers college and then transferred to Black Mountain College, where she spent three years as a student. During the 1950s she came to prominence and had shows at San Francisco Museum of Art, the Oakland Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco.
Asawa works with a variety of materials and mediums including wire sculptures, which emphasize line and form and reference drawing. As sculptures, they exist in three-dimensions which allow for viewing at various perspectives and change depending on the viewer’s point of view. As an educator, she cofounded the Alvarado Arts Workshop, which exposes children to art and gardening as a way of problem-solving. (Source: Asheville Art Museum)