In the Shadow of Ruth Asawa

Oct 18, 2025

I’ve been thinking about Ruth Asawa’s shadows. They’re surprising, not shaped how you might expect: While one of her sinuous hanging basket sculptures might be elongated, with an oblong head and abdominal segments, for instance, its shadow might have a round belly and...

Ruth Asawa Arrives in New York with a Monumental Retrospective

Oct 18, 2025

One of the most iconic figures of the mid-20th century, trailblazing Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa led a prolific life of art-making, advocacy, and civic engagement. Over a decade after her passing, the last year has ushered in a momentous wave of exhibitions...

Ruth Asawa Proved That Mothering Is Inherently Artistic

Jul 31, 2025

In 2008, I gave birth at home, in the bed I still sleep in today, to my second child; and instead of marveling at their vernix-covered scalp and the fact of their being born in the caul during a full moon, I had an extended anxiety attack, convinced I wasn’t a...

Ruth Asawa Showed Us the Way to an Artistic Life

Jul 18, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO — Ruth Asawa’s infant son, Paul, lies on a blanket in a tender ink drawing entitled “Untitled (FF.1234, Paul Lanier on a Blanket)” (c. 1962–63). Paul takes up just a small portion of the overall composition, his clothing rendered through hatch marks that...