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Tours

1. Drumm Campus Art Walk

   Experience the work of Donald Drumm through this virtual campus art walk.

   Stops

   1. Donald Drumm

      Donald Drumm

      Artist in Residence at BGSU, 1965-1971

      Interviewed Nov. 12, 2024

      Experience the work of Donald Drumm through this virtual campus art walk. Appointed as BGSU’s first artist-in-residence in 1965, Drumm spent six years shaping the campus landscape with bold mid-century modern sculptures, murals and architectural elements.

      This tour highlights several of his most iconic works, including the nine-story facade of the William T. Jerome Library and murals in the Saddlemire Student Services and Education buildings. Move through the tour at your own pace. Each stop features images, background information and, in some cases, voiceovers from Don Drumm himself.

   2. Library Murals

      Date Created: 1967
      Location: William T. Jerome Library (outside)
      Description: Visible from across campus, the striking murals transform the library's western and eastern façades into monumental works of art. Drumm created the non-objective designs by sandblasting white paint onto gray concrete, producing a rough-hewn texture that plays with light and shadow. Stainless steel pins protruding from the surface of the western façade cast changing patterns as the sun moves throughout the day. True to his artistic philosophy, Drumm emphasized that the murals relate to the library's architectural form rather than conveying symbolic meaning.

      Beyond the façades, Drumm's artistic vision extended to the library terrace (now the second-floor roof), where he designed five free-form sculptures and incorporated sandblasted patterns into the concrete elements, creating a complete sculptural environment.

   3. America the Beautiful (reprint)

      Date Created: 1971
      Location: Jerome Library - first floor atriums (north and south sides of the building)
      Description: Drumm's hand-painted mural offers a pointed commentary on American identity during the Vietnam War era. His reimagined eagle grasps an olive branch—a symbol of peace—while a ribbon in its beak reads "Mater et Placenta Malorum" (loosely translated as "mother and apple pie"). This deliberate departure from the official U.S. seal, which features arrows alongside the olive branch and the motto "E Pluribus Unum," reflects Drumm's anti-war convictions and questions about American values.

      Originally painted in the Saddlemire Student Services Building, the mural was lost when that structure was demolished. The library later discovered photographs of the original work and used them to faithfully recreate the murals in their current locations, ensuring Drumm's powerful statement continues to resonate with new generations of students.

   4. Relief Sculpture

      Date Created: 1965
      Location: Central Hall - 1st floor, south side entrance
      Description: This massive aluminum wall relief (750 pounds, measuring 13 by 5 feet) originally commanded attention in the Administration Building lobby before finding its current home in Central Hall. Drumm created it as part of a broader effort to add vibrant color and sculptural interest to campus, counterbalancing what he saw as the "unsightly" red brick of nearby fraternity houses. He also designed five free-form sculptures and ten seating arrangements for the library terrace in bold hues of orange, charcoal, and brown, intended to be "mind-challenging" and provoke reactions. Though viewers often search for symbolic meaning, Drumm insisted none was intentionally embedded. The work is primarily decorative, though he welcomed individual interpretations.

   5. Wall Relief+ Sculpture

      Date Created: 1971
      Location: Education Building - open staircase between floors 1 and 2
      Description: This nine-foot diameter aluminum relief sculpture transforms the stairwell into an unexpected gallery space. A gift from Dr. Virgil K. and Dr. Lorrene Love Ort, the work showcases Drumm's signature sculptural style on an architectural scale, creating visual interest in a utilitarian space.

   6. Bridge Over Troubled Water: A Memorial to the Kent Four and Jackson Two

      Date Created: 1970
      Location: Between Centrex and Carillon (outside)
      Description: This 12-foot sculpture stands as a powerful memorial to students killed during the turbulent spring of 1970. Drumm crafted the work from corten steel - the same weathering steel that was pierced by a National Guard bullet during the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970. As he designed the memorial, news broke of two more students killed by state troopers at Jackson State University on May 15. The sculpture's title, Bridge Over Troubled Water: A Memorial to the Kent Four and Jackson Two, honors all six lives lost. The rust that naturally develops on the corten steel over time is an intentional part of the work's evolution.

   7. Door Handles

      Date Created: 1972
      Location: Slater Ice Arena - Room 180B
      Description: Even the smallest details received Drumm's artistic attention. The entrance to the Ice Center Lounge features two distinct sets of door handles - one for the interior, another for the exterior - each hand-crafted from steel and mounted on an intricately detailed wooden door. This functional sculpture reminds visitors that art can inhabit every aspect of our built environment.

   8. Fireplace Wall Relief Sculpture

      Date Created: 1967
      Location: Slater Ice Arena - Room 104B
      Description: Drumm designed this concave cement mural to become one with its surroundings. Rather than standing apart from the architecture, the fireplace sculpture curves gracefully backward, seamlessly integrating with the walls of the Ice Arena Lounge. It exemplifies Drumm's philosophy that art should "blend in with the environment."