Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier

Summary

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier, 2002 June 21-July 5, Transcript
Collection ID:
AAA.asawa02
Creators:
Asawa, Ruth
Johnson, Mark
Lanier, Albert
Karlstrom, Paul J.
Dates:
2002 June 21-July 5
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
34 Pages
Transcript
Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Ruth Asawa and her husband, Albert Lanier, 2002 June 21-July 5, conducted by Mark Johnson on June 21 and Paul Karlstrom on July 5, for the Archives of American Art, in the subjects' home/studio in San Francisco, California.
Scope and Contents
Asawa and Lanier shared their memories of Black Mountain College, Josef and Anni Albers (with whom they became close friends) and Buckminster Fuller. Part of their account of those years and the early stage of their marriage dealt with issues of race.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) was a Japanese American sculptor based in San Francisco, California. Albert Lanier is an architect from San Francisco, California. Interviewer Mark Johnson is head of the California Asian American Artists Biographical Survey and resides in San Francisco, California.
Administration
Sponsor
Funding for the transcription of this interview provided by the San Francisco Foundation/Jacqueline Hoefer Fund. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript available online.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Digital Content

(Electronic Resource)

Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier, 2002 June 21-July 5, Transcript

(Sound Recording)

Oral history interview with Ruth Asawa and Albert Lanier, 2002 June 21-July 5, Digital Sound Recording (Excerpt)
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
More Information
General
General
Originally recorded on 3 sound cassettes. Reformatted in 2010 as 5 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 20 min.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Japanese American art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Japanese American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women sculptors Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art -- Philosophy Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Japanese Americans -- Forced removal and internment, 1942-1945 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Albers, Anni Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Albers, Josef Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black Mountain College (Black Mountain, N.C.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions