New Exhibition -John Mellencamp: Paintings and Assemblages

DELAND, FL – November 17, 2021 – The Museum of Art – DeLand will feature a solo exhibition of works by  American artist and musician John Mellencamp, opening on January 14, 2022. The exhibition, titled John Mellencamp: Paintings and Assemblages runs through March 27, 2022.

Best known for his music, Mellencamp is an accomplished painter who has seriously pursued his art for more than thirty-five years. Solo exhibitions include the Butler Institute of American Art, the Tennessee State Museum, the Museum of Art – DeLand, the Morris Museum of Art and three exhibitions, including a two-man show with Robert Rauschenberg at ACA Galleries in New York City.

“Seven years ago the Museum of Art – DeLand presented  one of John Mellencamp’s first museum shows, and it remains one of the most well-attended in our 70-plus year history,” said Executive Director Pattie Pardee. “Fan curiosity may have driven numbers initially, but his undeniable artistic proficiency created new audiences for his paintings.  Mellencamp is such a prolific artist that he has more than enough work for the Museum to welcome him back after seven years; in fact, this exhibition features mostly new works, with only a handful among the 50  or so pieces that were painted before 2020.  It’s an intriguing look at an artist’s creative output during the pandemic. “

As his musical career flourished, he continued painting and evolved a style of portraiture influenced by the German Expressionists, particularly Max Beckmann and Otto Dix.   Mellencamp’s imagery takes its inspiration from the same sources as his music; the struggles of the working man and woman, oppressive authority and social struggle.  Like his music, the paintings are carefully composed through the structural requirements of harmony, rhythm, and order.

Born and raised in Seymour, Indiana, John Mellencamp is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and musician as well as an accomplished painter and long-time activist. Mellencamp started painting at an early age, influenced by this mother, also an artist. Mellencamp studied at the Student Art League of New York, where he discovered the work of 20^th Century Modernists. As his musical career flourished, Mellencamp began to paint earnestly in the 1980s with an affinity for portraiture influenced by the works of Otto Dix and Max Beckmann. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, recipient of The Woody Guthrie Award, the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champions Award, the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Founders Award, a member of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and co-founder of Farm Aid – a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on the land. Mellencamp maintains a home and studio outside Bloomington, Indiana, where painting continues to be a mainstay of his creative spirit.

John Mellencamp: Paintings and Assemblages opens on Friday, January 14, 2022 and will be on view through March 27, 2022 at the Museum of Art – DeLand, located at 100 N. Woodland Blvd.

The Museum will hold its first fundraising event since the pandemic with a VIP Opening Gala for the Mellencamp exhibit on January 13, 2022.  Details at www.moartdeland.org.

Gallery Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 and free to children under the age of 12 and all Volusia County School Students and Stetson Students.

The Museum of Art – DeLand is a vital and interactive visual arts museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, display and educational use of the fine arts in Central Florida.  Established in 1951, the Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and is comprised of a 23,000 square foot arts facility housing five galleries on two levels located at 600 N. Woodland Blvd. and the Downtown Galleries located at 100 N. Woodland Blvd in DeLand, Florida. Enriching the community through its permanent collection, art exhibitions and educational programs, the Museum is a source of cultural focus and is recognized statewide by its peers for academic excellence and community outreach.  The Museum is supported by its Guild, grants, admissions, generous patrons and donors, and Museum Store adjacent to its galleries in Downtown DeLand.  To learn more about the Museum, its programming exhibits and opportunities to engage with the Arts visit us at www.MoArtDeLand.org or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media Release: Museum of Art – DeLand

Featured Image: German Clown and Dresser, 2021,
48″x 72″, House Paint, and Oil, Charcoal on Masonite