BGSU dedicates restored Jerome Library mural, celebrates artist Donald Drumm

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University marked a major milestone on April 23 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the restoration of the iconic mural at William T. Jerome Library - the largest piece of public artwork at the University. Now fully restored and enhanced with new lighting, the mural is once again visible for miles, including at night.

Adorning the east and west sides of the library, the multi-story mural was designed by renowned Akron-based artist Donald Drumm, who served as the first artist-in-residence at BGSU from 1965-71. The April 23 celebration brought together campus leaders, alumni and community members, including Drumm's daughters, who attended on his behalf.

Drumm, now 91, has viewed photographs of the restored mural and expressed appreciation for its renewed vibrancy.

"It looks great," Drumm said in March at his gallery in Akron. "It makes me feel good to know some work I've done… is still around."

"The Jerome Library mural is a cherished part of our campus, representing BGSU's commitment to teaching, learning and research, along with the creativity and history that bind our community together," said Sara Bushong, dean of University Libraries. "We are so grateful for the alumni and friends who joined with us to preserve this iconic landmark, ensuring that it continues to inspire and resonate with future generations."

Drumm recalled spending months sketching, revising and laying out the design on the library walls.

"The design was meant to complement the building," Drumm said. "It's not meant to represent a particular design, direction, figure or animal. It was an abstract, non-objective design without subject matter.

"I felt it lent itself better than telling a story."

The mural reflects Drumm's pioneering approach to shaping cast aluminum and contemporary materials into art, a style influenced in part by his upbringing working alongside his father, a mechanic.

"I grew up as a son of a genius mechanic, and I acquired a bit of my knowledge from living a part of my adolescence in a garage and working for my father on trucks and cars, working with welding equipment and being around nuts and bolts and the way things are put together. This has been carried on to my thinking today," Drumm told The BG News in 1972.

"My father is very interesting," said Leandra Drumm, his daughter, who co-owns the gallery and is also an artist. "The art gene is very strong in him, but he also has that structural background that helps him to understand how things come together. It has helped with constructing the gallery and assembling his sculptures

"He was born to create."

Even at 91, Drumm continues to create art daily in his Akron workshop, located near the gallery he opened in 1971 - one of the country's first dedicated to contemporary craft.

The Jerome Library mural remains his largest installation. Installed during the library's construction, the work spans 10 stories and 48 feet wide on the west side and eight stories on the east. Drumm vividly remembers climbing multiple stories of scaffolding to complete the piece, sandblasting the concrete and applying a black silicone stain to achieve its bold design.

The mural restoration began in October 2025 and was completed this spring as part of a broader renovation project for Jerome Library. The mural work itself was funded entirely by donors. The overall renovation also included a new roof, window replacements, façade repairs and the installation of color-changing exterior lighting to illuminate the artwork.

Originally restored in 1995 after years of weather-related fading, the mural has once again been carefully preserved to maintain its original impact.

Beyond the mural, Drumm contributed more than a dozen works across campus, including the 15-foot steel sculpture "Bridge Over Troubled Water," dedicated to students killed during protests at Kent State University and in Jackson, Mississippi. His additional works can be found in buildings across campus, including Central Hall, the Education building and Slater Family Ice Arena.

First opened in 1967, Jerome Library remains a cornerstone of campus life. Ranked among the top college libraries in the nation, it houses more than 7 million books and digital resources, including the Browne Popular Culture Library and the Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives.

As visitors once again take in the restored mural, Drumm hopes his work continues to resonate.

"Just stick with it," he advised students pursuing careers in art.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony not only marked the completion of a restoration project but also reaffirmed the University's commitment to preserving its artistic and cultural legacy for generations to come.