Steady stream of visitors take in opening of Mellencamp exhibition

John Mellencamp didn't attend the opening of his exhibition at the Mansfield Art Center, but his father did.

Richard Mellencamp, 91, made the trip from Seymour, Indiana, for both Saturday's private reception and Sunday's official opening.

"He was all dressed in black," said George Whitten, the art center's executive director. "When he was walking across the parking lot, a lot of people were staring at him.

"They thought it was John."

Whitten was talking about Saturday's reception. Richard was back Sunday afternoon, once again clad in all black and sporting large black eyeglasses. He said his son is on vacation through the Fourth of July.

"He got all that (artistic talent) from his mother," Richard said. "My wife was an artist."

Asked for his opinion of his son's work, Richard said, "I love it.

"Later on in life, he has put a lot more effort in his art than in his music," Mellencamp's father said. "He has such a God-given gift. It's unbelievable."

The Mansfield Art Center scored a major coup to be able to present Mellencamp's work in a mixed-media exhibition called "Paintings & Assemblages." The show will continue through Aug. 7.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Richard said of the art center. "Everything is so nice and well-organized."

Fans came because of their love of Mellencamp's music

A number of people who spoke to the News Journal said they attended because they love Mellencamp, the singer-songwriter.

Mellencamp, 70, is best known for a string of big hits in the 1980s including "Hurts So Good," "Jack & Diane" and "Pink Houses." The Indiana rocker has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

He released his latest album, "Strictly a One-Eyed Jack," last January, featuring Bruce Springsteen on the song "A Life Full of Rain."

"I graduated in 1982," Kim Durenda said. "I heard 'Jack & Diane' in August. I've been following him ever since."

Durenda, of Alliance, came away impressed with his artwork, too.

"A lot of it, he's taking a stand," she said. "They have a lot of meaning to them."

Accompanying Durenda was her 27-year-old daughter, Jenna.

"I'm her sidekick," she said. "I've been listening to Mellencamp pretty much my whole life.

"I think he's a great artist. He's a good artist all around."

Phil BeMiller, of Columbus, is another longtime fan of Mellencamp after attending Indiana University in the singer's hometown of Bloomington.

"We'd see John driving around on his motorcycle," BeMiller said.

Wendy BeMiller, Phil's wife, said she became a Mellencamp fan because of her husband.

"After meeting Phil, I gained a new appreciation," she said, adding she is also an art lover.

Phil knew what to expect at the exhibition because he follows Mellencamp on social media.

"Love it, love it," he said of the artwork.

Singer's music played as guests arrived

Guests arriving Sunday afternoon on a warm summer day were greeted by food trucks and the Phoenix Brewing Co. 

Admission for the exhibition is $5. Members get in free.

While Mellencamp's music played in the pavilion, two Mansfield police officers were nearby.

"We felt security was a prudent thing to do," Whitten said.

Mellencamp has been very outspoken about gun control, recently giving an incendiary interview to MSNBC in which he said he thought images of school shooting victims should be shown.

Jennifer Beavis, marketing and development director for the art center, led a private tour Sunday morning. 

"Even if you might be in line with some of these ideas, it still takes you aback," she said.

In one of his paintings, called "Gun Control," Mellencamp wrote the words, "So this is gun control" above a painting of a young boy with a hole in his chest. Below are the words "the 2nd Amendment in action."

"I think it would have been done more recently," Sue Ann Simon said of the painting, which Mellencamp did in 2013. "And we're still doing the same thing today."

Simon is an artist herself, specializing in watercolors.

"I think (Mellencamp) has great drawing ability," she said. "I think it's fantastic."

Art teacher appreciates Mellencamp's paintings

Another of Sunday's attendees who knows art is Matt Godsil, who recently finished up his 39th year as art teacher at Madison Comprehensive High School.

"What's fascinating is you come in with a context of his music," Godsil said. "To see his artistic spirit focused in the visual media is really fascinating. 

"It's got a real emotional power to it. It's not beholden to literary representation. It allows for a lot of freedom of expression."

More than 55 of Mellencamp's pieces are on display.

"Paintings & Assemblages" documents America's heart and soul, exposing unsettling, but beautiful truths with an attitude of defiance and narrative sensibility.

As his musical career flourished, Mellencamp began to paint earnestly in the 1980s. His affinity for portraiture, influenced by the works of Otto Dix and Max Beckmann, shares a kinship with German Expressionism of the early 20th century.

"I've been a John Cougar fan for a long time," said Brian Moore of Mansfield.

He was using the name Mellencamp's record company gave him early in his career.

"I've seen him in concert. I play a little music myself, and I cover some of his songs," Moore said. "Being a fan of his music, I could not resist seeing his artwork."

Two other artists' exhibits also on display

In addition to Mellencamp's work, the first-floor gallery features an exhibition of clay sculptures from the late George Roby, documenting his wife's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, along with paintings from Mindy Tousley.

Tousley, who hails from Cleveland, is the executive director for the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. She does abstractionist art.

She enjoyed getting more attention because of Mellencamp's star power.

"It's great," Tousley said. "Everybody has to walk by my exhibit going in and coming out. I'm pleased and proud."

Whitten said he's seen local residents at the Mellencamp exhibition who had never been to the art center. It took about a year to finalize the deal.

"So now we're trying to figure out: 'Who do we get next?''' Whitten said.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill