If I hadn't spent all those years staying home with my kids and experimenting with materials that children could use, I would never have done the Ghirardelli and Hyatt fountains.

In the quote by Ruth Asawa, "If I hadn't spent all those years staying home with my kids and experimenting with materials that children could use, I would never have done the Ghirardelli and Hyatt fountains," she reflects on how her motherhood and creativity intersected to influence her career as an artist. Asawa suggests that her time spent at home, raising her children, provided her with the opportunity to explore and experiment with materials that were accessible and safe for children. This experimentation was a crucial part of her artistic process, which ultimately led to her designing public art pieces like the Ghirardelli and Hyatt fountains.

Asawa's mention of spending time staying home with my kids highlights a period in her life when she wasn’t actively involved in the professional art world, but instead focused on the home environment. However, she views this time as essential to her growth as an artist, indicating that the seemingly domestic years were actually foundational in shaping her artistic vision. Through her experiments with child-friendly materials, Asawa was able to develop ideas and techniques that would later contribute to her iconic sculptural works.

The reference to the Ghirardelli and Hyatt fountains points to two of Asawa's notable public art projects, which feature flowing water and intricate, organic designs that evoke the sense of fluidity and natural forms. These fountains, like much of Asawa’s work, incorporate themes of play and interaction, reflecting her belief in making art accessible and engaging for all ages. The experience of creating materials that children could interact with led Asawa to develop her signature style, combining functional art with a deep sense of aesthetic beauty.

Ultimately, Asawa’s quote reveals how her role as a mother and her commitment to creating art for children’s engagement had a profound impact on her creative output. It shows how seemingly unrelated life experiences—like parenting—can shape an artist's career and lead to unexpected and meaningful contributions to the art world. Her story encourages the idea that creativity can emerge from a variety of experiences, and that artistic inspiration can come from even the most ordinary aspects of life.