NORTH ADAMS.- The Museum of Contemporary Art in Massachusetts presents the exhibit Don Gummer Early Work throughout this summer. Don Gummer's monumental work, Primary Separation, stands outside the T. William Lewis Building on Marshall St. The work was first designed by Gummer in 1969, and has existed up to now only in maquette form: this is its first full-scale realization. In conjunction with the installation of this massive suspended granite boulder, MASS MoCA is featuring an exhibition of Gummer's early maquettes and drawings projects.

Don Gummer is an American sculptor. His early work concentrated on table top and wall-mounted sculpture, but in the mid 1980s he shifted his interest to large free-standing works, often in bronze. In the 1990s he added a variety of other materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum and stained glass. His interest in large outdoor works also led him to an interest in public art.

Gummer grew up in Indiana. He studied at Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, and then at the Herron School of Art (also in Indianapolis) from 1964 to 1966. From 1966 to 1970 he studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, and then completed his studies at Yale University where he received his BFA and MFA.

Gummer's first solo show was in 1973. Since then, his works have been featured at two dozen solo shows at museums and galleries around the East Coast and Midwest. His work has also been exhibited in many group shows.

Gummer's commissioned works have included Primary Compass (2000), a site specific outdoor permanent sculpture at the Butler Art Institute, Youngstown, Ohio and a sculpture/fountain in Historic New Harmony, New Harmony, Indiana. One of his most recent works is a stainless steel and stained glass sculpture titled Southern Circle, standing 25 feet tall and weighing approximately 20,000 pounds, commissioned by the city of Indianapolis and dedicated in October, 2004.

In 1978, Gummer married acclaimed Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. They have four children and live in Connecticut.