Michelle S. Drummond was born 1976 in Kingston, Jamaica. During her earlier years, her academic focus and athletic discipline led her to represent the Jamaica Women’s Hockey Team internationally. In 1995, she became the first Jamaican national awarded an academic scholarship to St. Lawrence University in New York, where she studied Mathematics, Computer Science, and French while competing in field hockey. Drawn to creative expression, Drummond began experimenting with fiber and acrylics in her senior year. She later pursued postgraduate studies and a career in Project Management in Washington, D.C., before relocating to South Florida in 2018.
A 2026 Artist Innovation Fellowship recipient of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, FL, Drummond’s public art practice gained prominence in 2022 when the City of West Palm Beach commissioned The Metamorphosis, for the Mandel Public Library, making her the first Black female artist to receive this honor. Additional projects include the City of
Boynton Beach’s six-foot Sailfish Spinner (2023) and Rain Showers, a large-scale installation created in collaboration with the City of Miramar. Drummond is represented by Adelson Galleries, Palm Beach, FL. Her exhibitions include solo shows at the The Art Center, Opa Locka, FL (2025), Cultural Council for Palm Beach County (2022), Cornell Art Museum (2020), and Pompano Beach Cultural Center (2020), with group exhibitions at Coral Springs Museum of Art (2024), Island SPACE Caribbean Museum (2023), and Art Basel-related fairs (2019 – 2025). Her work has been featured in Luxe Magazine, Delray Magazine, Palm Beach Illustrated, Boca Magazine, Ebony and Essence Magazines, respectively.
Pure Vibes (Uncaged series)
Pure Vibes is a work from the series Uncaged, an exploration of the raw, honest, and deeply personal interpretations of what it means to be “uncaged.” The series investigates this concept through the perspectives of fifteen individuals from diverse socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, gender, and sexual identity backgrounds, revealing the varied ways freedom, liberation, and self-expression are experienced and understood.
The word uncaged is defined as:
- Oxford Languages – Released from or no longer confined; not restricted
within a limited space - 3. or boundary.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary – Free from constraint; liberated.
Oxford English Dictionary – To release or remove from a cage.
At the heart of this work is a simple yet deeply introspective question
posed to each participant:
What immediate thoughts, feelings, or emotions come to mind when you
encounter the word “UNCAGED”?
Pure Vibes
reflects the layered interpretations that emerged from this
collective inquiry, translating personal perceptions of freedom and joy into
a visual language of release, authenticity, and self-definition. The work
invites viewers to consider their own understanding of liberation and the
visible and invisible forces that shape the human experience.
