About this Sculpture
- Artist: Don Drumm
- Medium: Steel
- Size: 40" x 0.25" x 92"
Family Group
About the Artist
Sculptor Don Drumm has spent nearly a lifetime creating works in sculpture. He learned to weld in his father’s auto garage and remembers one of his first creations: a pair of birds made from rusty cans.
That early spark led him to earn two art degrees and a job in industrial design. But Drumm eventually left that path behind, opening a gallery and studio with his wife, Lydia. There, he committed himself fully to his own work, ranging from small decorative pieces to large-scale sculpture. He is especially known for pioneering the technique of cast aluminum, which remains a signature material in his work.
“Early on…I went to breakfast with a business friend,” Drumm recalls. “He said, ‘I don’t really see you making a living doing art.’ Somehow, I didn’t listen. Here I am. I own buildings, making a living. I’m 87 and still creating, making art every day.”
Location
400 Culver St., Saugatuck, MI 49453
Experience this Sculpture
Walk around the sculpture.
Family Group is a very flat sculpture, like a cutout in space.
What do you notice about each of the figures?
Even without facial features, their silhouettes and gestures give us clues to their personalities.
Step closer.
Look closely at the metal. What do you notice?
It might look painted, but that soft, bluish tone is actually a patina, which gives the aluminum a gentle color and a more playful quality.
Step back and take it all in.
The shapes are simple—almost childlike. Circles repeat in many places throughout the piece.
Can you find the empty circular spaces that have been cut out (the negative shapes)? Many of these negative shapes help create the arms, which connect the family together.
