**"I was struck by how beautifully D'Aquino's renderings capture the
spirit of Asawa's work." --**The New York Times Book Review
**"Through this picture-book contribution, not only will Asawa's art
reach a new audience, but her artistic practice will inspire the next
generation of creative minds to express themselves with handmade art. A
worthwhile addition to picture-book collections everywhere."
--**Booklist
Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) was an influential and award-winning Japanese
American sculptor and devoted activist who advocated tirelessly for arts
education. A Life Made by Hand tells the story of this pioneering
artist whose work is collected in major museums around the world.
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. "An artist," she said, "is an ordinary person who
can take ordinary things and make them special."
Andrea D'Aquino's lush collages and engaging text celebrate Asawa's
remarkable career, and collectively tell a story that will appeal to
young readers and art lovers, and inspire them to, just as Ruth Asawa
did, look closely at the world and create art with whatever is at hand.
Includes an activity for making a paper dragonfly and a page of
teaching tools for parents and educators.
