IU will honor legendary Hoosier John Mellencamp with a statue for homecoming weekend. Mellencamp himself will be on campus for the special unveiling of the new statue at 1 p.m. Oct. 18, at the north end of the Fine Arts Plaza on campus.
The sculpture was created by IU alumnus and Bloomington native Michael McAuley to symbolize the icon’s connection to his southern Indiana roots. McAuley is also creative director at Livingston Designs Sculpture Studio in Bloomington.
Along with the statue’s unveiling, “Crossroads: The Paintings of John Mellencamp,” an exhibition of the singer’s large-scale oil paintings and multimedia pieces, is currently on display at the IU Eskenazi Museum of Art.
Mellencamp has been celebrated for his songwriting, philanthropy, activism and live concert performances throughout his career spanning more than 35 years. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, Woody Guthrie Award and the Founders Award. He also helped to create the Farm Aid concert series in 1985 to advocate and raise money for American family farmers.
Mellencamp announced at the Mellencamp Symposium in March 2023 that he will be donating his personal collection of archival materials and work to the university, including original creative works, photographs, instruments and other significant memorabilia.
