IU to honor John Mellencamp with statue on Bloomington campus
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Indiana rock star John Mellencamp is scheduled to attend the Oct. 18 unveiling of a statue sculpted in his honor, Indiana University announced Tuesday.
The statue, created by artist Michael McAuley, will be placed on IU’s Bloomington campus near IU Auditorium.
IU alum McAuley, creative director of Indianapolis-based Livingston Designs Sculpture Studio, crafted a bronze statue of iconic Hoosier songwriter Hoagy Carmichael that was installed outside IU Auditorium in 2008.
Seymour native Mellencamp co-founded the Farm Aid initiative for family-centered agriculture in the United States and he became a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
The musician who landed 17 songs in the Top 20 of Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Oct. 7.
“We are excited to welcome John to our campus once again as we commemorate his invaluable contributions to music, art and our university,” IU President Pamela Whitten said in a written statement. “The arts have long been a point of pride at IU, and we look forward to honoring a musician and artist who has generously given back to his fellow Hoosiers and greatly impacted American culture.”
An exhibition of paintings by Mellencamp is presently on display at the IU Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art on the school’s Bloomington campus.
The statue’s unveiling and dedication, scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Friday of IU’s homecoming weekend, is open to the public. Attendees are asked to register at an RSVP website.
Last year, the artist announced he would donate an archived collection of his life and work to IU. The collection holds original creative works, photographs, instruments and other memorabilia related to Mellencamp’s career.
In 1996, Mellencamp donated $1.5 million to Indiana University toward the construction of an indoor sports practice facility. The John Mellencamp Pavilion is used by the school’s football, soccer, baseball, softball and golf teams.
In 2000, he delivered the spring commencement address at IU and received an honorary doctorate in musical arts.