A proposal to decorate a downtown business with a giant painted mural of John Mellencamp is moving forward after a delay of more than a year.
Mellencamp, a Seymour native and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, finally has given his approval to the project, said Larry McDonald, a friend of Mellencamp’s and owner of This Old Guitar music store.
“We’re very excited about moving this forward,” McDonald said.
The Downtown Seymour Review board approved McDonald’s request Friday. That board serves as an advisory group to the city’s building commissioner on whether a project is appropriate for the downtown.
“The only stumbling block now is how to surface the building,” McDonald said.
Painted on a large canvas made of parachute material, the mural will be put up in a process similar to that of hanging wallpaper and will take up most of the east brick wall of the This Old Guitar building at 106 W. Second St.
Original estimates to repair the wall and get it ready for the mural were as high as $45,000.
The building is owned by Brett Bevers of Bevers Pharmacy.
Bevers, a member of the downtown review board, also has given his blessing to the project.
The mural, which will feature three different images of Mellencamp, is being painted by local artist Kay Fox, an instructor at Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour.
She has said in the past the project is a way to recognize and thank Mellencamp for his support of the arts in Seymour.
The art center was made possible by Mellencamp, who owns the home and property where it is located. He leases it to the center’s board of directors for $1 per year.
Also helping move the mural project along is Martha McIntire, a member of the Jackson County Visitor Center board.
McIntire said she is friends with Fox and supports her and McDonald’s efforts.
She didn’t think, however, the cost to prepare the building was feasible.
They are now looking at other, less expensive ways to repair missing bricks and coat the wall with a liquid that helps fill in and smooth the surface enough for the mural to be put up.
McIntire said she and Fox plan to visit Richmond to see the more than 45 murals in that city and speak with officials there on the process.
“From the pictures I’ve seen on the Internet, these murals are attractive and eye-catching,” she said.
City attorney Rodney Farrow said he was not satisfied with the email consent from Mellencamp’s business manager Tim Elsner and said the city needs a signed document from the rock star before the mural can be installed to protect the city from being sued for copyright infringement.
That wouldn’t be a problem, McDonald said.
Tom Goecker, downtown review board president, said he liked the most recent drawings for the mural better than the one he saw a year ago.
“There’s something about this one that I’m drawn to a little bit more,” he said. “I feel like you’re almost part of it.”
Board member Mike Jordan said he’s not a big fan of murals, but voted in favor of the project anyway.
“I think I would like to see this just to see how it comes out,” he said.
McIntire said from the visitor center board’s view, the mural would be a great addition to the community and help attract tourists to the area.
“That’s a lot of what people ask for when they come in,” she said. “We really don’t have much that shows that this was John Mellencamp’s hometown. He grew up here, and we’re proud of him.”
Some people won’t like the idea, she added.
“I’m sure there will be people that won’t like it and won’t like the fact that we’re doing something with Mellencamp, but that’s too bad,” she said. “This man has worked hard to get where he needed to go.”
With his support of farmers through Farm Aid and the arts in Seymour, she said the city owes Mellencamp some gratitude.
“I feel like we owe him some respect and to show people that we are proud of him,” she said. “This is a good way to do it.”
Mellencamp will release his new album, “Plain Spoken,” on Sept. 23, followed by an 80-city North American tour starting in January. This is his 22nd full-length album. He also will be playing at the annual Farm Aid benefit concert in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sept. 13.
Mellencamp is a founding member of Farm Aid. He, Neil Young and Willie Nelson the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to help keep farmers on their land.
He also made national headlines recently after he and actress Meg Ryan ended their 3-year relationship.