DON TALKS WITH THE ROTARY CLUB OF AKRON

On September 1st, Don spoke with the Rotary Club of Akron on his first ever Zoom session. Click to watch and for their summary, read on, below...

Don Drumm was born in Warren, Ohio in 1935. After studying medicine for two years at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, he decided to pursue a career in art. He transferred to Kent State University where he received a B.F.A. and an M.A. He subsequently worked as a designer for the Industrial Design firm “Smith, Scherr and McDermott” for two years. In 1960 Drumm opened his own studio, as a full time practicing Sculptor and designer/craftsman near the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. In 1971, together with his wife, Lisa Drumm, he expanded the studio to incorporate a one-room gallery. Since then the enterprise has grown extensively and now embraces eight buildings, providing gallery facilities for over 500 artists and studio space for three resident artists.

In the late 1950s Drumm pioneered the use of cast aluminum (aluminum) as an artistic medium. In addition he has been a pioneer in the use of contemporary building materials, and techniques for the creation of Arts and crafts. The 1960s brought about many teaching opportunities for Don as he was artist-in-residence at Bowling Green State University and taught at Penland School of Crafts.

He continues experimenting and constantly creating to this day. Drumm has won numerous awards along the way, including: Ohio Designer Crafts' “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Outstanding Contributors of the Century”, to the Akron community by the Beacon Journal Publishing Company, first recipient of the Outstanding Visual Artist Award from the Akron Area Arts Alliance in 2000, and the first recipient of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) “Artist and Craftsman Excellence” award.

Drumm has worked on a wide range of public, commercial and private commissions in the USA and abroad.