Under her leadership the studio has grown to clients in over 30 countries and 5 continents — and two artworks sent to Space.
Drue's works are rooted in Zen philosophy and span a breadth of material art forms including mirror-polished steel sculpture and painting, and technological art such as virtual reality, EEG, NFTs, and art-science collaborations. Prominent works include her collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic Immersive entitled Will Your Heart Pass the Test? (auctioned by Phillips for $252,000), her time dilation artwork Up!, featured in the first zero gravity art exhibit at the International Space Station, her Ambrosia series inspired by neural networks, and her Celestial Lace stainless steel sculptures. She is an Advisory Board Member of Space for Humanity, sending diverse humans into space.
The tragic events of 9-11 provoked Drue to endow a youth scholarship through the sale of one of her artworks. Since 2001, 24 student recipients have benefitted from The Rotary Drue Kataoka Art Scholarship.
Named a Young Global Leader & Cultural Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Drue presented a solo exhibition at the WEF in Davos and has presented at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. She was a member of the WEF's Steering Committee on VR/AR/AI for the Creative Economy and is a contributing author to the book Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Drue has been invited to speak in Tokyo, New York, St. Petersburg, Necker Island, British Virgin Islands, Buenos Aires, Oslo, Ulaanbaatar, Abu Dhabi, Yangon, Beijing, Geneva, Puerto Vallarta and more for multiple organizations, corporations and governments. She is a juror for the Academy of the Global Teacher Prize.
Drue's art has been featured on CNN, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, CNBC, CBS, ABC, FoxNews, NY1, Telemundo, Barrons, Wired, Blackbook, Gentry and others. She is a graduate of Stanford University and a recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute Award for her extensive community service. Exec education: Global Leadership & Public Policy for the 21st Century at the Harvard Kennedy School & Foundations for Leadership in the 21st Century at Yale University.
See some of her artworks in Works.
Explore the experiences, traditions, and commitments that have shaped Drue’s life and work.
The family history, values, and Japanese traditions that continue to inform Drue’s artistic practice.
Explore her heritage →Exhibitions, ideas, and appearances from Drue’s work with the World Economic Forum.
View the Davos story →How Drue’s background as a classical flutist shaped her understanding of discipline, rhythm, and artistic expression.
Discover her musical roots →The scholarship Drue founded in the aftermath of 9/11, supporting young artists and students since 2001.
Explore the scholarship →