In 1961[6] she was awarded the First Prize in Oil Painting by the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Annual Exhibition for her work “Mystery”.
[8] After this she began sculpting in the early 1960s,[10][11] upon the recommendation of sculptor David Smith, who had judged the competition.
By the late 1960s, she began working in the mediums of Uvex and Plexiglas, in addition to forged steel.
[2] In 2000 the Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation was established in order to house a collection of works by Aaronel deRoy Gruber and “to engage Pittsburgh-based and regional artists and initiatives connected to photography, sculpture and painting,” according to the Foundation's mission statement.
Its headquarters were moved to the Ice House Studios in 2020, and displays a collection of Gruber's works, in addition to being home to interactive programs and temporary exhibitions of other artists.
Outside the building there are also ten large-scale solid steel and aluminum sculptures, several of which the artist produced in conjunction with American Forge & Manufacturing Co.[3][16] Aaronel deRoy Gruber died on July 6, 2011.