A Life Made by Hand
The Story of Ruth Asawa 
by Andrea D’Aquino

An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.

In Ruth Asawa’s hands, simple wire turned into graceful sculptures as light as air. Inspired by the world around her, Asawa saw beauty in the ordinary: the webs of spiders, wings of insects, and drops of water found in the garden on the farm where she spent her childhood. She studied at the historic Black Mountain College, an unusual school filled with brilliant thinkers like herself. Andrea D’Aquino’s lush collages and engaging text celebrate Asawa’s remarkable career, from her first steps as an artist to the acquisition of her work by major museums around the world.

Introducing children to the fascinating world of the pioneering Japanese American artist, the back matter includes a biography of Asawa, additional reading resources, and a paper-folding activity. 

“D’Aquino nicely connects the imaginative life of the child with the professional artist she became. This is reinforced in the illustrations, which are a playful combination of pencil drawings and collage with a loose and spontaneous feel. I first saw Asawa’s luminous wire sculptures a few years ago, and I was struck by how beautifully D’Aquino’s renderings capture the spirit of Asawa’s work.”
Nina Crews, The New York Times

“This distinctive biography brims with artistic vision as it informs about a signature sculptor."
Kirkus Reviews

“Love, love, looooooove!”
The Jealous Curator

Rights sold:

World English: Princeton Architectural Press, 2019
Italy: 24Ore Cultura, 2021
For foreign rights inquiries, please contact us.