The Sculpture
of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air
by Daniell
Cornell, Editor; with essays by Daniell
Cornell, Emily K. Doman Jennings, Mary
Emma Harris, Karin Higa, Jacqueline Hoefer,
Paul J. Karlstrom, John Kriedler, Susan
Stauter, and Sally Woodbridge
Berkeley, CA, University of California
Press, 2006
205 pp., illus. 150 col., 50 b/w photographs.
Trade, $60; paper: $34.95
ISBN: 978-0520250444; ISBN: 978-0520250451.
Amy Ione
State College PA 16803
ione@diatrope.com
Published to accompany the first complete
retrospective of her career, The Sculpture
of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air is
a superb accomplishment. The book examines
her pioneering modernist contributions
and convinces the reader that Asawas
work is well-deserving of the wide recognition
it has received. Covering her early work
on paper, her incredible wire sculptures,
public commissions, and her activism in
the arts and education, the volume is
a must read for anyone who is interested
in contemporary art and the history of
Black Mountain College. Moreover, her
artistic creativity is conveyed in the
various essays that speak of her life-long
experimentation with wire, especially
its capacity to balance open and closed
forms.
Asawas unusual history was especially
well done in the book. Having always characterized
her in my mind as a Japanese-American
artist, I learned how little I knew of
her history and of the kinds of events
that had shaped her life and her work.
All of the essays conveyed the multiplicity
of ways Asawas heritage influenced
the woman she became. A few events stand
out in my mind. Born in America to Japanese
parents, Asawa was among those interned
during World War II. While in a camp in
California, she met a few Japanese artists
from the Disney studio who taught art
classes there. One, Tom Okamoto, had an
immense influence on Asawas future
development.
A second event that impressed me was the
path that led her to Black Mountain College.
She had attended Milwaukee State College
with the intention of becoming an art
teacher. Unable to get a teaching certificate
because no one would hire a Japanese American
even for practice teaching in 1946, she
went to Black Mountain in North Carolina,
where she studied with Josef Albers, Buckminster
Fuller, Ilya Bolotowsky, and met her husband
(the architect, Albert Lanier). When she
arrived at Black Mountain, Asawa had intended
to become a painter. She learned to knit
with wire during a summer break in Mexico.
The transparency of the designs appealed
to her artistic sensitivity. Indeed, she
so liked the way the interior and the
exterior intertwine and how the material
takes on a fluid, ever-changing that it
came to define her artistic path.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking chapter
is "Critiquing the Critique: Ruth Asawas
Early Reception" by Emily K. Doman Jennings,
which deals with the significance of Asawas
Japanese American identity to her art.
Jennings argues that, on the one hand,
it is correct to say that Asawas
Japanese-American ethnicity framed her
experiences (e.g., spending time
in the internment camps) and pointed her
towards certain kinds of preferences in
art and her activism. Yet, on the other
hand, the development of her art is unique
to her individuality and those who attempt
to account for it in terms of her Japanese
heritage are apt to misconstrue critical
aspects of her history. For example, Asawa
was born in the United States and did
not develop her interest in Eastern thought
and tradition primarily from her upbringing.
Rather, it stems from her instruction
by Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller.
Jennings tells us that:
"[W]hile her work can be discussed in
regard to the fundamental figure-ground
relationships of calligraphy or the teaching
of Lao-tze, categorizing her work in strictly
Asian terms disregards its context within
a larger body of contemporary artists,
such as Mark Tobey, John Cage, and Merce
Cunningham, who drew upon Asian philosophy
as a creative source." (p. 130)
Here I wanted to hear more about the relationship
to three-dimensional modalities such as
pottery than about the design and calligraphic
influences that resonate with her Mentors
and the Black Mountain experience. Thus,
it seemed that this essay succeeded in
capturing Asawas recognition of
the dialectic between an artists
technique and the resulting forms in terms
of relationship to three-dimensional modalities
but missed an opportunity to explain how
modernist work has elevated our appreciation
of craft and design, including Japanese
aesthetics. In some ways, Asawa sculptures
are fairly equated with the delicate forms
that often accompany Japanese accomplishments,
particularly this cultures achievements
in sculpture, pottery, and ceramics. From
this perspective, equating her work with
Japanese traditions is not to denigrate
it so much as to affirm the degree to
which cross-fertilization has muted the
lines among traditions. In other words,
it is perhaps ironic that this influence
came to Asawa through Western minds and
practices because the art overall has
a very Japanese flavor and aesthetic.
Indeed, the people Asawa knew at Black
Mountain had a great influence on her
entire life and the modernistic path she
chose. Later in life she also developed
relationships with key players in the
development of contemporary art. This
is one of the reasons her story, as captured
in this book, is so compelling. For example,
this expansively illustrated book includes
a photograph of the wedding ring designed
for her by Buckminster Fuller. (It was
made by Mary Jo Slick Godfrey in 1949.)
Also included are a number of amazing
photographs by her friend Imogen Cunningham
(and others), capturing Ruth in her studio,
with her children, and in various settings.
The book itself is divided into several
textual sections, a section of plates
highlighting her drawings, paintings,
and prints (photographed by Joseph McDonald)
and a section of plates that presents
her sculpture (most of these were photographed
by Laurence Cuneo). This approach is effective
in capturing the breadth of Asawas
work, as well as her history and the works
chronology. The works on paper were particularly
fascinating. These showed her "design
sense" and how her creative imagination
in 2-dimensions carried over to her 3-dimensional
projects. Pieces, like the undated Curved
Lines (Free Study), that were produced
during her time at Black Mountain College
suggest the hanging wire pieces generally
associated with Asawas name. Similarly,
the dynamics represented in several of
the lithographs (e.g., Desert
Plant Black Reverse, conceived at
the Tamarind Workshop in 1965) resonate
with her later tied-wire works
All of the above fails to convey the wealth
of contributions Ruth Asawa made to education
in tandem with her incredible artistic
development. When San Francisco cut art
education out of their budget, she and
Sally Woodbridge set up the Alvarado Art
Workshop to bring art into the classrooms.
In addition, her service includes eight
years on the San Francisco Art Commission,
an appointment to Jimmy Carters
Commission on Mental Health, membership
on the NEA Task Force on the education
and training of artists, and service on
the California Arts Commission. Clearly,
Asawa is not the kind of artist who isolates
herself from the society. Just as her
work stresses connectedness, her life
has been one in which she has worked to
connect art with the community.
Finally, the task of writing a book review
is an unpredictable one. Many books are
useful, worthwhile, and welcome additions
to my body of knowledge. Some are informative,
but dense and difficult to read. On occasion,
I find myself so disappointed that I wonder
what I can say to hide my dislike. The
Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the
Air, to be sure, is the kind of book
that reminds me of why I write these reviews.
Reading it was a total pleasure. Although
Ive known Ruth Asawas name
and reputation for years, this catalogue
made it clear how little I knew about
her life and work. All of the reproductions
were excellent, and the essays are so
informative that I found myself unable
to put the book down as though I was reading
a novel. In other words, those who do
not know Asawas work will be in
for a treat if they pick up this book.
Anyone already familiar with her accomplishments
will find that the publication effectively
underscores what a remarkable women she
is.