What Did Ruth Asawa Make?

Explore the world of artist Ruth Asawa in this lively, interactive lift-the-flap book for children ages 0–3.

Ruth Asawa found inspiration everywhere—whether she looked to her children, her garden, or the warmth of her home, she believed that anything could become art. Her engaging work invites young artists to discover how creativity can sprout from anywhere.

Through her unique wire sculptures and natural watercolors, Asawa demonstrated that even the simplest materials can be transformed into something extraordinary. Her work encourages children to explore their own imaginations and to see the beauty in the everyday world around them.

The What Artists Make series of lift-the-flap books, geared toward children under the age of three, shares the different ways artists view the world. In each book, one artist’s unique method of making or outlook on creativity is explored through rhythmic sentences and photographs of artworks selected to delight and inspire. Beneath the flap, a short explanation of the artist’s practice provides added context, allowing adults to engage with the art on a deeper level and to share the knowledge with their children.

Doro Globus is a writer, editor, and publisher specializing in creative culture, with a focus on arts publishing. Her first book, Making a Great Exhibition, is a fun inside look at the life of an artwork, from studio to exhibition. A passionate advocate for sharing creativity, Globus has dedicated her career to telling stories of artists and writers. She is Associate Publisher of David Zwirner Books and has worked in arts publishing for nearly twenty years. She has written about artists and art historians including Dawn Ades, Michael Bracewell, Fred Wilson, and Bridget Riley. 

The American artist, educator, and arts advocate Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) is known for her extensive body of wire sculptures that challenge conventional notions of material and form through their emphasis on lightness and transparency. Over the course of more than a half century, Asawa created a cohesive body of sculptures and works on paper that, in their innovative use of material and form, deftly synthesizes a wide range of aesthetic preoccupations at the heart of postwar art in America.