ASAWAxCLOUDS + LADDERS | cloudsandladders

Clouds + Ladders x Ruth Asawa for the de Young Museum

Ruth Asawa’s hanging sculptures in the Education Tower were my inspiration for the collection I created.

While at first I was drawn to the artistry of the gravity-defying shapes of Asawa’s work, after reading about her I discovered she possessed an admirable human spirit as well.

The DeYoung Museum Stores invited noted craft artisans representing each of the nine Bay Area counties to create exclusive offerings inspired by the de Young Museum’s collection, architecture, and natural environment to accompany their exhibit "Open Call 2023."

In addition to being inspired by her sculptures' forms, I chose colors from my own garden to represent Asawa’s love of gardening, and worked with metallic colors to reflect the wire that she used.

The Asawa Collection is available exclusively at the de Young Museum Store and their website.

My thanks to the de Young Museum for inviting me to represent Sonoma County for the 2023 Open Call Exhibition. The opportunity to create a collection of jewelry inspired by Ruth Asawa’s work is an honor and dream come true for me.