A&E

Mellencamp comes home

John Mellencamp's free performance in Woodlawn Field Thursday drew a crowd of fans, both students and community members. "I think it was pretty good," he said in a press conference following the show. "It was pretty hot, but nothing like Nashville was."

Mellencamp to play free concert today

After recent surprise appearances in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and several other cities, John Mellencamp is bringing what has been called his "Good Samaritan Tour" closer to home. It was announced Tuesday the Seymour, Ind., native will play a free concert at 1 p.m. today in Woodlawn Field, located at the intersection of 10th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.

Local bands a jammin' success on Walnut

The Jammin' On Walnut musical extravaganza Tuesday night was exactly what it was expected to be: jammin' all night and a lot more. The event consisted of local and regional bands performing at three different locations: Axis, 419 S. Walnut, Bluebird, 216 N. Walnut, and Kilroy's Sports, 319 N. Walnut. The net proceeds of this event were donated to Shelter Inc.

Jazz virtuoso David Baker returns to Bear's Place

Professor David Baker will take the stage once again at 5:30 p.m. today at Bear's Place, 1316 E. Third St, at the Jazz Fables concert series. Baker will be celebrating the 11th anniversary of the Jazz Fables series, which has played at Bear's almost every week since its conception in September 1989.

Mellencamp to play free concert on campus

John Mellencamp fancies himself a Good Samaritan. The Seymour native announced Tuesday he'll give a free acoustic performance at 1 p.m. Thursday in Woodlawn Field, at the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and 10th Street. Mellencamp has been performing free, impromptu concerts throughout the month of August as part of his Good Samaritan Tour. He announces the concerts on his Web site, mellencamp.com, a few days in advance and has played in Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Boston. Though attendance has varied, a recent show in Chicago drew in 15,000 for his hour-long set. The Bloomington performance will be the last of the tour, according to his Web site.

Junior realizes his lifelong dream of being cast in 'Rent'

The only thing missing is the glass slipper. Junior Justin Johnston is living out his lifelong dream of being an entertainer in what he calls "a Cinderella story." After pursuing a major in telecommunications and a minor in music at IU for three years, he is leaving Bloomington to join the national touring company of the Tony Award-winning musical "Rent."

Gallery starts year with new exhibits

Two new exhibitions will be featured in the School of Fine Arts Gallery. The exhibit, which opened last Friday will continue until Oct. 6. Featured are "Old Stories," paintings by Nancy Morgan-Barnes, and Robert Barnes' "Lunch Bags." The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception from 7-9 p.m. Friday in the SoFA Gallery.

Exhibits

IU Art Museum 'Works of Eugene Goudin, Paul Signac, Jacob Jordaens and Matthias Stom are being displayed on loan from U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Steven Green. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon through 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 855-5445.

Clubs feature 9 bands for Jammin' on Walnut Street

Two or three times a year, the clubs of downtown Bloomington join together and turn up the heat with music from local and regional bands. It is once again that time of year when the prolific local musical talent shakes and bakes Bloomington all night. This extravaganza of music, dance and booze is what has come to be called Jammin' on Walnut Street.

Bob Log III will rock Second Story

One-man-bands have always had something of a stigma attached to them. After all, the genre was pioneered by Wesley Willis, a certified schizophrenic from Chicago. He has spent the past 20 years touring, pounding out songs such as "I'm Sorry I Got Fat" on his keyboard.

Festival to exhibit arts, crafts

Every year, returning students and incoming freshmen shop for furniture, rugs and items for decorating their apartments and dorm rooms. One place to start this decorative search is the 24th-annual Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts.

Hoosierfest

It's been the story of the summer, an inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists, a bone of contention between local merchants and city government and an eyesore in the heart of Bloomington. It's the construction that closed Kirkwood Avenue earlier this summer. But Saturday night saw a new side of Kirkwood, and for the first time in a long while, people filled the street. Some stopped into local shops such as Smoothie King and Tracks. Some sipped ale in the beer garden, and most gathered around the stage at Grant Street and enjoyed the performances of musical groups Cracker, Karl Denson and others.

Grammy-winning reggae artist to play at Axis

Around the Arts

Local artists discuss their crafts

Artists throughout Bloomington are preparing for the Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts, which will take place Saturday and Sunday. For these artists, the festival is more than just a showcase of their talent; it is a way to share their love of art with the community.

Poster store opens on Kirkwood

Around the Arts

'It Runs in the Family' playing at Brown County Playhouse

Sandwiched into the quaint, yet bustling Nashville shopping strip, the Brown County Playhouse always manages to put on an eclectic summer season for its patrons. Their most recent hit is "It Runs in the Family," an intelligent and wonderfully performed British farce by Ray Cooney, which was directed by Bruce Burgun.

Hoosierfest returns to Bloomington

As soon as the street pavers are done and the backhoes are gone from Kirkwood Avenue, the workers for Hoosierfest will begin setting up. The Saturday festival features an evening of concerts and a beer garden on Kirkwood Avenue between Dunn Street and Indiana Avenue.

Around the arts