Ruth ASAWA (1926-2013)
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (555 Portola Drive, San Francisco)
Ruth Asawa was born in Norwalk, California, where the Japanese faced extreme discrimination. As a child, she worked on a farm before and after school. In 1942, her family was sent to an internment camp in Santa Anita Race Track for six months. During that time, she drew and painted with other artists from Walt Disney Studio who were also interned. Ruth graduated from high school in camp and went to Milwaukee State Teachers College in Wisconsin to become an art teacher. She later continued her education at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. In the 1950s, she started her art career with drawings and paintings, and later shifted to sculptures. Ruth designed Andrea's Fountain in Ghirardelli Square and the Japanese American Internment Memorial Sculpture in San Jose. She also designed the Garden of Remembrance in San Francisco State University.
(Portrait by Angelica Perez, SFSU 2014)