Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) was a Japanese American artist and arts advocate who worked to integrate arts education into the standard curriculum of San Francisco’s public schools. Although Asawa is best known for her looped-wire sculptures, Archive Room: Ruth Asawa explores her lifelong dedication to arts activism through selected projects from the Alvarado School Arts Workshop curriculum, an artist-in-residence program she cofounded with architect and fellow parent Sally Woodbridge at Alvarado Elementary School in 1968. The teaching materials, workshops, and collaborative projects presented in this compact, single-gallery presentation explores Asawa’s belief that art is essential to cultivating a fuller sense of self.

Stanford acquired Asawa’s archive (Special Collections, M1585) in 2007 with additional materials arriving in subsequent years. To explore Asawa’s archive online, please visit Stanford Libraries’ website.

Archive Room: Ruth Asawa is curated by Kathryn Cua, Curatorial Assistant, Asian American Art Initiative. We gratefully acknowledge sustained support provided by The Robert Mondavi Family Fund.

IMAGE: Ruth Asawa teaching geometric patterns with milk cartons, c. 1981. Courtesy Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc.

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