The Museum’s Didaktika offers educational spaces as well as on site and online content that complements each exhibition, thus providing tools and resources to aid the appreciation of the works on display.

On this occasion, this Did You Know That...? is dedicated to Ruth Asawa (b. Norwalk, California, 1926; d. San Francisco, California, 2013) and her lifelong advocacy for education through art, sustainability, and community engagement. In the 1960s and 1970s, she expanded her art practice into San Francisco’s civic life through public artworks and programs with schools. This section explores the life and community-focused work by the artist, providing an intimate glimpse into Asawa’s direct engagement with her community through pedagogy, arts education, and civic advocacy.

Ruth in Her Dining Room with Tied-Wire Sculptures, 1963.
Photograph by Imogen Cunningham
© 2026 Imogen Cunningham Trust / www.ImogenCunningham.com
Artwork © 2026 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., courtesy David Zwirner