What Did Ruth Asawa Make?

What Did Ruth Asawa Make?

Ruth Asawa: All Is Possible, published by David Zwirner Books in 2022, offers a comprehensive look at Ruth Asawa's diverse artistic output. While Asawa is best known for her iconic looped-wire sculptures, this book reveals a broader range of her work and unique vision.

Sculptures

Asawa's primary medium was sculpture, with her most recognizable works being her abstract looped-wire sculptures. These intricate pieces explored the relationship between interior and exterior volumes, creating forms that were simultaneously inside and outside. She began creating these sculptures in the late 1940s, inspired by a wire basket-making technique she learned during a trip to Mexico.

In the early 1960s, Asawa expanded her sculptural repertoire by experimenting with tied-wire sculptures. These pieces, often described as "tree" or "branching forms," began with a central stem of 200 to 1,000 wires that then branched out into increasingly complex shapes.

Works on Paper

Beyond her three-dimensional work, Asawa created an extensive body of works on paper. These included:

  • Abstract and figurative drawings
  • Prints
  • Paintings

Many of these two-dimensional pieces were influenced by nature, particularly flowers and plants, as well as her immediate surroundings.

Public Art

Asawa also received commissions for large-scale public sculptures. One notable example is Andrea (1968), a fountain featuring cast bronze mermaids installed in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square.

Printmaking

In 1965, Asawa participated in the Tamarind Lithography Workshop Fellowship, where she produced 52 lithographs depicting friends, family, natural objects, and plants.

Ruth Asawa's artistic practice was characterized by her innovative use of materials, her exploration of form and space, and her ability to blend complexity with simplicity. Her work transcended traditional artistic boundaries, embodying a uniquely expansive vision that continues to inspire and captivate audiences today.

Author: Doro Globus

Doro Globus is a seasoned professional in art publishing with over 15 years of experience, currently serving as the associate publisher at David Zwirner Books. Her career spans editing art books, writing about artists, and authoring children's literature aimed at making the art world accessible to young readers. Globus has authored two children's books, "Making a Great Exhibition" (2021) and "I Am an Artist" (2024), both illustrated by Rose Blake as part of the "How Art Works" series. Growing up with a curator mother, Globus developed a deep appreciation for art from an early age, which has informed her career dedicated to sharing creativity and telling artists' stories. Her approach to art publishing and children's literature is characterized by a desire to break down barriers in the art world and inspire a love for art in younger generations.

Book Details:

  • Publisher: David Zwirner Books
  • Format: Hardback
  • Print length: 24 pages
  • Reading age: 6+ years old
  • Publication date: 1 July 2025

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How can "What Did Ruth Asawa Make" help in teaching a KS2 lesson on art and sculpture?

Author: Doro Globus

"What Did Ruth Asawa Make?" by David Zwirner Books can be an excellent resource for teaching KS2 art and sculpture lessons. Here are several ways to incorporate the book into your curriculum:

Introducing Innovative Sculpture Techniques

  • Use Asawa's unique wire sculptures to demonstrate how everyday materials can be transformed into art.
  • Discuss how Asawa's techniques challenge traditional notions of sculpture, encouraging students to think creatively about form and space.

Exploring Cultural Influences

  • Highlight how Asawa's trip to Mexico influenced her wire-weaving technique, demonstrating the impact of cultural exchange on art.
  • Encourage students to explore their own cultural backgrounds for artistic inspiration.

Integrating Art with Daily Life

  • Discuss how Asawa found inspiration in her garden, family, and home, teaching students to observe and appreciate their surroundings.
  • Create activities where students make art inspired by their everyday environments.

Hands-on Activities

Inspired by Asawa's work, you can create hands-on activities such as:

  • Wire sculpture: Introduce basic wire-bending techniques to create simple 3D forms.
  • Shadow art: Explore how Asawa's sculptures interact with light by creating shadow-casting sculptures.
  • Nature-inspired drawings: Encourage students to sketch plants or natural objects, inspired by Asawa's works on paper.

Cross-curricular Connections

Use the book to make connections with other subjects:

  • Mathematics: Discuss geometric shapes and patterns in Asawa's sculptures.
  • History: Explore the context of Asawa's work in post-war America and her experiences as a Japanese-American artist.
  • Science: Investigate the properties of different materials used in sculpture.

Discussing Public Art

  • Use Asawa's public sculptures as a starting point to discuss the role of art in community spaces.
  • Encourage students to design their own public art projects for their school or local area.

By incorporating "What Did Ruth Asawa Make?" into your KS2 art lessons, you can inspire students to think creatively about materials, form, and the integration of art into everyday life, while also introducing them to an important figure in 20th-century American art.

Using "I Am an Artist" in KS2 Art and Sculpting Lessons

"I Am an Artist" by Doro Globus and Rose Blake is an excellent resource for teaching KS2 art and sculpting lessons. The book showcases various artists and their techniques, including sculptors and ceramicists, making it ideal for introducing students to different art forms and materials used in sculpting. By exploring the diverse approaches to creating art presented in the book, teachers can emphasize that there's no single "right" way to be an artist, encouraging students to develop their own unique artistic styles.

The book's structure, which takes readers on a tour of artists' studio complexes, can be used as inspiration to set up different "stations" in the classroom, each representing a different sculpting technique or material. This approach allows students to rotate through these stations, experimenting with various sculpting methods and gaining hands-on experience. Additionally, the book explains why artists make art, providing an opportunity for students to reflect on and discuss their own motivations for creating art, which can help develop their critical thinking skills and personal connection to art-making.

Incorporating "I Am an Artist" into KS2 art lessons can lead to engaging hands-on activities such as clay modelling, found object sculptures, and collaborative sculpture projects. The book also offers opportunities for cross-curricular connections, linking art with subjects like science (discussing properties of sculpting materials), history (exploring sculptors' contributions to recording historical events), and literacy (writing about personal artistic processes). By using this book as a foundation, teachers can provide students with a rich, multi-faceted understanding of art and sculpting, encouraging them to explore their own creativity and artistic identity.

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