The artist at home and in community
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Ruth Asawa's art practice included a lifelong investment in art education and the artist community of San Francisco. For decades, her friends, family, and artists from all walks of life have drawn inspiration from her art and her life philosophy, contributing to an enduring legacy in the Bay Area.
Henry Weverka, Asawa's grandson and head of the family-run entity dedicated to preserving her work, recently discussed his memories of his grandmother at home with illustrator and graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton.
“When I was a kid, there was people always coming and going, artists, eccentrics, all these different people. She really, she didn't discriminate based on race or gender. It was like she really wanted to have an artist community.” — Henry Weverka, Ruth Asawa's grandson
Read more about Ruth Asawa — mother, friend, and pillar of her community. And don't forget to plan your visit today!
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Over the coming weeks — as part of a collaboration with SFMOMA — Wendy MacNaughton and her artist community, the DrawTogether Grown-Ups Table, will take inspiration from Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, leading up to a live drawing event at the
museum later this summer.
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It's All in the Family! |
Ruth Asawa's daughters at SFMOMA |
Asawa's daughters Aiko Cuneo and Addie Lanier assisted our conservator Natalya Swanson ahead of the opening of Ruth Asawa: Retrospective. They honored their mother's legacy by using various tools to re-form the small wire loops in Untitled (S.433, Hanging Nine Open Hyperbolic Shapes Joined Laterally) (ca. 1958).
Curious about the process? We'll be sharing more behind the scenes on our Instagram account!
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| See more on Instagram
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Visitors Drawing Inspiration from Ruth Asawa |
We love seeing snapshots of visitors interacting with the 300+ artworks in the exhibition!
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Photo: @senay.inanici on Instagram |
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Photo: @tweetsweet on Instagram |
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Explore More Ruth Asawa: Retrospective |
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Book a Private Tour |
Delve into the extraordinary work and life of Asawa with your private group! Private guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more people.
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Shop the Asawa Collection |
Shop the exhibition-inspired collection in the Museum Store.
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| Browse online
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“An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.” — Ruth Asawa
Don't miss Ruth Asawa: Retrospective. Get your tickets today!
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
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Our ongoing commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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© 2025 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Image details: Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; backdrop photograph: © 2025 Rondal Partridge Archives; photo: Henrik Kam. Aiko Cuneo and Addie Lanier working on Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S.433, Hanging
Nine Open Hyperbolic Shapes Joined Laterally), ca. 1958; William Roth Estate; © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; photo: Dyemond Dye. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo: @senay.inanici. Visitor at Ruth Asawa: Retrospective, 2025; photo: @tweetsweet. Ruth Asawa: Retrospective (installation view, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, April 5–September 2, 2025); artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner; photo: Henrik Kam. Digital graphic; courtesy SFMOMA; image: Laurence Cuneo, Ruth Asawa holding a paperfold, ca. 1970s (detail); © Laurence Cuneo; artwork: © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner.
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Ruth Asawa: Retrospective is an exhibition partnership between the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
With support from Google.org.
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Major support for the exhibition and catalogue is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
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At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, lead support is provided by Randi and Bob Fisher, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, Diana Nelson and John Atwater, and Helen and Charles Schwab.
Presenting support is provided by Dana and Bob Emery.
Major support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Christie's, Davidow Family Fund for Exhibitions of Modern Art, The KHR McNeely Family Foundation, Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely, Katie and Matt Paige, and Shelagh Rohlen, in memory of Tom Rohlen.
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Significant support is provided by the Neal Benezra Exhibition Fund, The Black Dog Private Foundation, Jim Breyer, Susan Karp and Paul Haahr, Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem, Alexandria and Kevin Marchetti, The Elaine McKeon Endowed Exhibition Fund, Kate and Wes Mitchell, Jessica Moment, Deborah and Kenneth Novack, the Bernard and Barbro Osher Exhibition Fund, Nancy and Alan Schatzberg, Lydia Shorenstein, and David Zwirner.
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Meaningful support is provided by Shawn and Brook Byers, the Mary Jane Elmore West Coast Exhibition Fund, Jessica and Matt Farron, Laurie and Jim Ghielmetti, Hellman & Friedman LLC, Maryellen and Frank Herringer, James Park, Keiko Sakamoto and Bill Witte, Rummi and Arun Sarin Painting and Sculpture Fund, Roselyne Chroman Swig, Diane B. Wilsey, Pat Wilson, and Sonya Yu.
Additional support is provided by Holly Johnson and Parker Harris, the Stuart G. Moldaw Public Program and Exhibition Fund, and The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
The Asawa family home and garden presentation at SFMOMA is made possible by Susan Karp and Paul Haahr.
Major support for the catalogue is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel.
Meaningful support for the catalogue is provided by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.
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