The Japanese-American sculptor was known for her iconic works like her mermaid fountain in Ghirardelli Square and the bronze fountain at Union Square, which became part of a controversy when Apple announced it wanted to move it to expand its super-store.
Asawa co-founded an art program in 50 public San Francisco schools and founded the San Francisco High School of Arts.
In 2010, the school was renamed to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
