Ruth Asawa (born January 27, 1926) is a Japanese American artist, who is nationally recognized for her wire sculpture, public commissions, and her activism in education and the arts. In San Francisco, she has been called the "fountain lady" because so many of her fountains are on public view. In this website, you can learn about her life, her work, and her development as an artist.

Beginning in the late 1960s, Asawa received many commissions to make public sculptures and fountains. These works can be found in San Francisco, San Jose, and other places in Northern California. For some of the works, Asawa drew upon her life-long interest and experimentation with paper-folding, also known as origami.