Mellencamp’s ‘Paintings & Assemblages’ among first exhibits at new cultural center

Jasper Community Arts will feature work by John Mellencamp for one of the first exhibitions at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center.

Due to Covid-19, the public can experience the exhibit virtually at http://www.jasperarts.org beginning Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

The creative spirit often finds multiple expressions and such is the case with John Mellencamp. Known primarily for his music, Mellencamp, is a legendary musician and long time activist. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of The Woody Guthrie Award. He is also an accomplished painter who has seriously pursued painting for more than 35 years. 

He has had solo exhibitions at the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; the Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, the Museum of Art—Deland, Florida, the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia and three exhibits including a two man exhibition with Robert Rauschenberg at the famed ACA Galleries in New York City. 

Raised in Indiana and influenced by his mother who painted in the family home throughout his childhood, Mellencamp’s urge to paint started at ten years old when he began experimenting with oils. Later, he came to New York with the intention of studying painting if his music-career aspirations didn’t pan out.

He had his first formal training at the Art Students League, with portraitist David Leffel, where he discovered German art and the work of Twentieth – Century Modernists such as Walt Kuhn, Chaim Soutine and Max Beckmann. As his musical career flourished, Mellencamp also continued painting and began to paint earnestly in the 1980s as a means of further artistic exploration. 

He evolved a style of portraiture influenced by the paintings of the German Expressionists, particularly Max Beckmann and Otto Dix. Beginning with an early affinity for portraiture Mellencamp found his visual voice in Expressionism. The German Expressionism of the early twentieth century, with its anguish over human brutality and corruption, spoke to Mellencamp’s deep feelings about social justice.

His kinship with the Expressionist artists, both by inheritance—he is the descendant of German immigrants—and attitude, served as the foundation for the development of Mellencamp’s own oeuvre. But though that foundation is German, the evolved result is decidedly American, with the brash and snappy visual rhythms of our streets, our lives, our politics, angers and passions. 

Mellencamp’s imagery thus takes its inspiration from the same sources as his music: the struggles of the working man and woman, oppressive authority and social struggle. And like his music, the paintings are carefully composed through the structural requirements of harmony, rhythm and order. 

Mellencamp continues to live in his native Indiana, where he maintains his home and studio outside Bloomington, where painting continues to be a mainstay of his creative spirit. 

The exhibit, Paintings and Assemblages, will be in the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center from January 7th – March 28th, 2021. 

Jasper Community Arts will host multiple events celebrating John Mellencamp while his artwork is on display. In addition the Next Act, Inc. will host a raffle with Mellencamp memorabilia. Virtual grand opening/Mellencamp Raffle: The first special event will begin with the Virtual Exhibit Opening on Thursday, January 7th , 2021. Starting at 4:30pm the public will have access to the exhibit online at, http://www.jasperarts.org. 

In addition to the Virtual Exhibit Opening, the public will also have the opportunity to win memorabilia from Mellencamp through an online raffle. Raffle tickets for a signed Lithograph, “Sometimes There’s God”, will be available online, beginning on Thursday, January 7th. Tickets for the signed print can be purchased until 5:00pm of February 24th , 2021at http://thenextact.org/jcaraffle/. 

This will give patrons multiple opportunities to purchase tickets. 

Due to COVID-19 all city buildings will be closed to the public and in-person meetings through January 18th, 2021. Jasper Community Arts hopes to open the exhibit to in-person viewing on January 19th, 2021. 

The first film event, ‘John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken’ is on January 22nd , 2021 from 6:00–8:30pm, a screening of the film ‘John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken will take place at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center. The film will continue to run every week daily, Monday – Friday: 10am and 2pm, Saturday and Sunday: 12:30pm, with the last showing being on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021. These events are free to the public, however space is limited.

 Stay connected with Jasper Community Arts for any updates, by phone, 812-482-3070 or email, visualarts@jasperindiana.gov.

The second film event, ‘John Mellencamp: It’s About You’ and Signed Artwork Raffle Winner will be announced on Thursday, February 25th, 2021 from 6:00 – 8:00pm a second film, ‘John Mellencamp: It’s About You’ will be shown. This film will continue to run every week daily, Monday – Friday: 10am and 2pm, Saturday and Sunday: 12:30pm, with the last showing being on Wednesday, March 24th, 2021. These events are also free to the public, however space is limited. 

This film is an intimate portrait of music legend John Mellencamp. ‘It’s About You’ is a revealing documentary both about the man and his music and about the culture that inspires him. In addition to the second film showing, the raffle winner of the signed artwork “Sometimes There’s God” will be announced virtually by a representative of John Mellencamp’s. Raffle winners will be announced online. 

Like and Follow Jasper Community Arts and Next Act, Inc. Facebook pages for more information, http://www.facebook.com/jaspercommunityarts, https://www.facebook.com/TheNextAct. Stay tuned for additional events in conjunction with the John Mellencamp Exhibition.