Learnings from Asawa

Sep 1

Written By Yang Liu

The expansive Ruth Asawa: Retrospective show at SFMOMA reminded me that art is not a sprint but a lifetime’s unfolding. One artist can move fluidly across mediums and styles, never bound to just one way of making.

What struck me most was how Asawa wove her life and art together. With six children to care for, she didn’t separate her practice from her family—she integrated them. She often worked at home, sometimes involving her children in projects and always encouraging them to create. It’s a tender reminder that making doesn’t have to live apart from living.

I had long thought the ideal studio was a sanctuary apart, but Asawa showed me that the home itself can be a studio, and family can be collaborators.

And sometimes, of course, it’s still good to step out of the house—to take a day trip, to see something new, and to return with fresh eyes.