MEDIA RELEASE— Bluffton University has been recommended for funding through the State Library of Ohio’s LSTA Conservation and Preservation Grant program to support conservation work on “The Trumpet Player,” a sculpture by artist John Peter Klassen. 

The $4,999 grant will provide funding for professional conservation of the sculpture, helping preserve the work for future generations of Bluffton students, employees, alumni and visitors. 

“This grant is an exciting opportunity to care for an important piece of Bluffton’s artistic heritage,” said Carrie Phillips, library director at Bluffton University. “We are grateful to the Ohio Preservation Council and the State Library of Ohio for supporting the preservation of ‘The Trumpet Player’ and helping ensure this work can continue to be part of the Bluffton University campus for years to come.” 

The Ohio Preservation Council and the State Library of Ohio Grant Review Committee have recommended Bluffton’s application for funding. The conservation project will focus on professionally preserving “The Trumpet Player,” allowing Bluffton to address the sculpture’s conservation needs while maintaining its place as part of the university’s campus environment. 

The project reflects Bluffton’s ongoing commitment to caring for the university’s physical and cultural resources and preserving items that contribute to the institution’s history and identity. 

“The Trumpet Player” is one of three pieces that Phillips has been actively restoring. A bust of Menno Simons by Jack Earl, originally located between Centennial Hall and Founders Hall, received extensive refurbishment in summer 2025 and now resides inside College Hall, protected from the elements. “Industry and Accomplishment,” a sculpture of two beavers on a pedestal by alumni Forest Musser ’29, also received extensive refurbishment and will return to campus near its original home by Mosiman Hall this fall. A re-dedication ceremony for “Industry and Accomplishment” is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 7 as part of Bluffton University’s fall Community Day. 

More information about Bluffton’s campus art here

SEE ALSO Take a Bluffton art walk