Seventh in a series –
More photos at the bottom this story
Summer is a great time to explore the art spread across the Bluffton community – especially for viewers unable to visit art galleries elsewhere in Ohio.

As a weekly series, The Icon will feature the art created by John Peter Klassen (1888-1975), a long-time Bluffton College art professor, and art by other artists in the community.

For some viewers, this series is familiar. For others, it may be a first-time experience.

Either way, it’s an opportunity to take a walk and view some art that is uniquely Bluffton. Much of Klassen’s art is spread through Bluffton University campus, however several pieces, shown in this series, are elsewhere in the community.

Today’s feature
Main Street drinking fountain
By Judith Greavu
You may not realize the story behind the drinking fountain on the Bluffton Presbyterian Church Lawn on Main Street.

Originally placed cattycornered on the Citizens National Bank corner, the fountain was created by Bluffton artist Judith Greavu in 1881. Titled “Riley Creek Landform,” it was commissioned by the Bluffton Cultural Affairs Committee.

Although, for safety reasons this year due to the covid-19 pandemic, the fountain is not turned on for public use.

It depicts the Riley Creek, which is a significant feature in the Bluffton community. 

One of the interesting features of the work is that the bricks in the fountain are bricks taken from Main Street. Viewers will notice that one was created in 1927 as a convict-made brick.

Greavu taught at Bluffton University and retired from Ohio Northern University where she was associate professor in the department of art & design from 1985–2005.

Her works have been shown in numerous venues around the country. She has presented from Michigan to Florida and throughout Ohio, including being selected for “Spineless Wonders: Invertebrates as Inspirations,” an exhibit celebrating the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species.

Locally, in addition to the drinking fountain, she has large sculpture commissions for Tiffin University and the Inniswood Botanical Gardens, and her Reef Installation was one of the works in the citywide Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize exhibition in 2010. In 2011, she was honored with a retrospective exhibit at ArtSpace/Lima.

Here work is available at Gallery 323 in Bluffton. Click here for an earlier story featuring this artist on the Icon.

Previous features in this series
• The Cossack, by John Peter Klassen
• Fallen Rider, by Deitrich Rempel
• The Family, by John Peter Klassen
• Beavers, by Forrest Mussser
• St. John's UCC baptismal font
• Menno Simmons and Noah C. Hirschey

Click here for the previous installment in this series. Each installment in this series links to an earlier feature.