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    John Mellencamp sculpture unveiled at Indiana University Bloomington

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    Rock star and singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is the latest Hoosier legend to be memorialized in bronze at Indiana University’s flagship campus.

    Several hundred people gathered outside the IU Auditorium Friday afternoon to witness the unveiling of the sculpture. The piece, by Indianapolis-based artist Michael McAuley, shows Mellencamp playing his guitar and raising his right arm in the air in triumph. It is McAuley’s third sculpture to be exhibited on the Bloomington campus; He also created the sculpture of composer Hoagy Carmichael, which stands in front of the auditorium, and the likeness of Nobel Prize-winning social scientist and former professor Elinor Ostrom, which stands in front of Woodburn Hall.

    The 73-year-old rocker, who lives in Bloomington, has been a fixture in the genre for decades, with hits like “Hurts So Good,” “Pink Houses,” “Small Town,” “Jack & Diane” and “ROCK.” in the USA” He is a Grammy winner, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and, alongside icons Neil Young and Willie Nelson, one of the founding board members of Farm Aid. Mellencamp is also an accomplished artist whose paintings are currently the subject of an exhibition at the university’s Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art.

    Read more: This Indy sculptor seeks to capture “the spirit within.” His latest subject: John Mellencamp.

    Several university officials were in attendance for the occasion, including J T. Forbes, president and CEO of the IU Foundation, and university president Pamela Whitten.

    “John Mellencamp’s work, both on stage and in advocating for farmers during the crisis of the late 20th century, made my family feel seen and supported in difficult times,” Forbes said. Forbes said he offered his words “in gratitude for his contributions as a songwriter, storyteller, painter, poet and activist, especially to those who understand the difficulties of family farming and the dignity it gives to rural life in America.”

    Anthony DeCurtis, an IU alumnus and Rolling Stone contributor, discussed his decades-long relationship with the rocker. DeCurtis joked that the stars he’s interviewed can sometimes be impressed by the authors they interview – because of their awards or their appearances in prestigious publications – but the only thing that impressed Mellencamp about him was the five years , which he spent in Indiana.

    “We never really talked about it. That wasn’t necessary either. Whenever we spoke, I felt a depth of our connection that could come from nowhere other than my familiarity with the world that created him,” DeCurtis said.

    He continued: “John’s tireless creativity and hard work have elevated him to the level of other superlative artists whose stature is inextricably linked to the environment from which they came: Woody Guthrie and Oklahoma, Bob Dylan and Greenwich Village, Bruce Springsteen and New Jersey, John Mellencamp.” and Indiana.

    “That is the legacy that this extraordinary statue honors,” DeCurtis said. “Everyone who meets him will have the opportunity to experience, at least in part, how much John’s spirit permeates this university, this city, this entire state.”

    Mellencamp, who said he had not prepared any remarks for the occasion, took the opportunity to reflect on his path to sculptor status, which included school struggles due to dyslexia and experimental surgery to treat spina bifida as a toddler — something he did not have Didn’t understand the full extent of it until much later in life.

    “There were many people who helped me on this journey and brought me happiness,” he said. “You’re looking at the happiest guy in the world.”

    And then, in typical Mellencamp fashion — because an audience can never quite predict what he’s going to say when he’s on stage — he called his bandmates over, and someone passed maracas and a red-and-white accordion onto the stage.

    “This accordion has been in my art studio for 20 years,” he said, noting that it belonged to former bandmate John Cascella, who died in 1992. “So John is here with us, so to speak.”

    They performed “Small Town,” “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Jack & Diane.” Mellencamp’s rough and grim voice echoed through the hundreds in attendance.

    When the set ended, Mellencamp waved and thanked the audience.

    The audience responded, “We love you, John,” and “Thank you.” YouJohn.”

    John Mellencamp at Indiana University: Look at the work

    You can find Mellencamp’s sculpture at the IU Auditorium North Garden, 1211 E. 7th St. in Bloomington.

    Those interested can also stop by the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, 1133 E. 7th St. in Bloomington, to view a collection of Mellencamp’s paintings. “Crossroads: The Paintings of John Mellencamp” is on view through December 15th.

    Contact IndyStar pop culture reporter Holly Hays at [email protected]. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays.

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    Madoc Meredith
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