Bill Takes Art at Bluffton

Bill Takes Art at BlufftonIn his sculpture, Bill Takes Art at Bluffton, Jack Earl '56 revisits The Kobzar, a well-known work of his respected Bluffton tutor John Klassen. The Kobzar represents Bluffton's established traditions, while the seated student represents the average student; accepted, comfortable and safe.

"In many ways this work is personal. Professor Klassen was a kind of a father figure for me. In the broader sense, the Bluffton tradition is reality; it's a living thing. The college continues to change physically, but the emotions are still the same," said Earl.

Earl, of Lakeview, Ohio, graduated from Bluffton in 1956 and earned a master of arts from The Ohio State University. He taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the Toledo Museum of Art School of Design and in the public schools. He has exhibited widely both in the United States and abroad, including more than 21 individual shows.

This sculpture was damaged by weather and is no longer located in the Centennial Sculpture Garden. It has been resculpted and and is now located in the Marbeck Center Gallery Lounge with The Kobzar.