Lot 94 Cast Brutalist Style Planter by Akron Ohio Favorite Don Drumm
If you grew up in NE Ohio like me, you’ll probably remember the mural on Rt. 77 near The University of Akron. Or maybe you dined at the Armadillo on Exchange street in the sixties. Perhaps you didn’t know it then, but you were witness to the work of Don Drumm. Don opened his studio in 1960 near the University of Akron. He pioneered the use of cast aluminum as a medium for creating art. Don worked at Penland School of Craft and has many awards and achievements. I used to visit his gallery as a kid with my mother, where we would marvel at the organic designs and shapes. When I returned to Ohio after graduating from SCAD, I applied for a job at Don’s gallery; unfortunately they weren’t hiring at the time (I think it was my Flock of Seagulls hairdo), but I didn’t mind. I still love his work, the timelessness of it, the memories of visiting the studio & gallery throughout the years and best of all, that he’s still creating art.
Now is the time to appreciate and purchase a Don Drumm work of art if not in our What’s Neue Pussycat-MCM Art & Design Auction, anywhere you can. To learn more please visit his website and gallery www.dondrummstudios.com. Neue Auctions has three of Don’s cast aluminum pieces in the current auction; lot 92 A large cast stag beetle, lot 93 a whimsical feathered bird, and lot 92 the Brutalist style planter featured here, measuring 12.5 x 22 x 11.75 inches and estimated for auction $2000-3000.
Cynthia Colling Maciejewski
