Don Drumm (b.1935)
Garden of Fantasy
Materials: Laser-cut aluminum and bronze
Location: Akron Campus, Jean and Milton Cooper Pavilion, Ground Floor Lobby
Suspended high above the lobby, Garden of Fantasy is a radiant, two-story sun mobile that captures and reflects the ever-changing light of day. Its dappled bronze and aluminum surfaces shimmer as they interact with natural and ambient light, creating a dynamic visual experience for all who pass through.
A master of metalwork, Don Drumm used the precision of laser-cutting, an advanced technique developed in the U.S. in the 1960s and widely adopted in the late 1980s, to achieve the intricate perforations seen in this piece.
Having mastered this process in his 70s, Drumm uses it to bring extraordinary delicacy to metal, allowing leaf and plant forms to appear as effortlessly cut as paper. The result is a sculpture that balances strength with lightness, structure with airiness.
At the heart of Garden of Fantasy is one of Drumm’s most beloved motifs: the sun, a universal symbol of life and renewal. Surrounding it, an abundant array of scrolling leaves, blossoms, and even root-like tendrils reaches skyward, evoking the natural world’s response to sunlight. This vibrant imagery serves as a fitting metaphor for healing and growth, ideals that resonate deeply within a healthcare setting.
Like the mobiles pioneered by 20th-century artist Alexander Calder, Garden of Fantasy brings movement, energy, and inspiration to its space, offering a moment of beauty and reflection to all who enter Summa Health’s Jean and Milton Cooper Pavilion.
Untitled 1
Acquired for: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Center for Breast Health
Materials: Cast and hammered aluminum, approx. 10’ wide x 7’ high
Location: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower, Akron Campus, Main Building (141 N. Forge St.), Blue Neighborhood, Ground Floor, Williams Center Reception Area
Created to bring Don Drumm’s signature energy and optimism into the patient waiting area, this sculptural wall relief embodies movement, vitality, and growth. Cast in molten aluminum, Untitled 1 spans an impressive 10 feet in width and 7 feet in height, its surface alive with scrolling vines, twisting leaves, and intertwining branches. At its core, a radiant sunflower, one of Drumm’s most recognizable motifs, anchors the composition and is mirrored by a smaller secondary bloom below.
Unlike a traditional wall-mounted work, this sculpture extends up to six inches from the surface, its deeply undercut forms curling and reaching outward, adding dynamic depth and dimension. The piece is alive with texture, as hammered and brushed surfaces interact with intricate patterns and dense, rhythmic details that suggest continuous, organic motion.
Drumm’s artistic language is one of abundance, where familiar leaf shapes resembling chestnut, buckeye, morning glory, bindweed, and dogwood intertwine in a rich tapestry of plant life. Nestled within this exuberant growth, a contented frog, possibly a subtle self-portrait of the artist, rests among the foliage and reinforces the work’s joyful, life-affirming spirit.
By integrating Untitled 1 into the Williams Center for Breast Health, Summa Health embraces the healing power of art, offering patients and visitors an uplifting visual experience that reflects resilience, renewal, and the beauty of nature’s continuous transformation.
Untitled 2
Acquired for: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Center for Breast Health
Materials: Cast and hammered aluminum, approx. 7’ high x 7’ wide
Location: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower, Akron Campus (141 N. Forge St.), Blue Neighborhood, Ground Floor, Williams Center Reception Area
This striking sculptural relief by Don Drumm, the second in the Williams Center for Breast Health collection, offers a vertical, dynamic composition filled with energy and movement. Two large, crested birds, possibly phoenixes symbolizing renewal and resilience, perch within a lush, fantastical garden, their wings spread wide amid an intricate network of swirling leaves and floral motifs.
At the heart of the piece is one of Drumm’s signature elements, the sunflower, a radiant focal point that anchors the composition. Surrounding it, the artist plays with scale and contrast, setting smaller leaves against bold, deeply perforated palmate foliage. These cutouts create striking light-dark (chiaroscuro) effects, enhancing the sense of depth and dimension.
Drumm’s distinctive surface treatments, including repeated nail-head textures, restless contours, and the interplay of brushed and unbrushed aluminum, add an extra layer of visual complexity.
While the work does not tell a specific story, its rhythmic patterns and organic forms create a sense of harmony and vitality, transforming the space into an environment of warmth and inspiration.
Through Untitled 2, Summa Health continues its commitment to integrating art into the healing experience, offering patients, visitors, and staff a moment of reflection and a connection to the beauty of the natural world.
About the Artist
Summa Health is proud to feature the work of Don Drumm, a celebrated Ohio artist whose sculptural creations have enriched public and private spaces for decades. A native of Warren, Ohio, Drumm earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in art from Kent State University before establishing his Akron-based studio. From this space, he has worked continuously, producing a diverse range of pieces that span from small functional artworks to large-scale sculptures that shape and transform their surroundings.
Drumm’s dedication to his craft remains steadfast well into his 80s. Alongside his wife, Lisa, he maintains public galleries on Crouse Street, where his work, as well as pieces by other artists, can be explored. Recognized as one of Ohio’s artistic treasures, his influence extends beyond his studio, leaving a lasting imprint on the region’s cultural landscape.
Discover More
Don Drumm’s work can be experienced beyond Summa Health’s collection, from his website to his studio and galleries and numerous public and private installations throughout Ohio. His artistic journey has paralleled significant historical moments, including the events of May 4, 1970, at Kent State. Summa Health is honored to showcase three of Drumm’s remarkable sculptures, each contributing to the healing and inspiring environment we strive to create for our patients, visitors, and staff.