Wounded Warrior Dogs Exhibit

A Mansfield native’s wood sculptors of working military dogs will be on display throughout March at the Mohican Lodge.

James Mellick of Milford Center, said the dog is the “totem animal” of the human being and many heroic stories can be told and remembered through this special bond between dog and human companion.

“There is no stronger bond than the one forged in the stress and heat of battle where both dog and handler too often sacrifice their life, limb and mental health,” he said. 

That’s the sentiment of Mellick’s exquisitely carved, grand-prize winning and attendance record-setting wooden memorial sculptures, Wounded Warrior Dogs Project, that has been displayed at the National Military Museums of the Air Force, Marines and the U.S. Army over the last six years.

While the Wounded Warrior Dogs continue to tour the country through museum exhibitions, Mellick has created a new display of canine sculptures that speak to the companionship of The Dogs of War and Peace and stories about real K9 teams.  This new group of dogs is being displayed closer to home in the Midwest, at smaller venues and veterans’ events. 

James Mellick, a Master Ohio Craftsman, sees this exhibit as a “homecoming” since he was born in Mansfield in 1947.  As a preacher’s kid, he grew up in Wellington, before attending Greenville University in Illinois, and earned his Master of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.  James taught sculpture at Colby-Sawyer College, NH; Houghton College, NY; Calvin College, MI; and Cedarville University.  When Mellick was not teaching college, he created art for sale.

Mellick’s life as an artist changed completely when the display of the Wounded Warrior Dogs Project won the Grand Prize by the popular vote of the people, at Art Prize 8 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2016.  James donated one-tenth of his winnings to the K9’s for Warriors Charity.

At 5 p.m. on March 13, the artist will give a slide talk about the journey, the making, and the stories of the Wounded Warrior Dogs Mission and the heroes he has met along the way.

At the Mohican Lodge event, Mellick will share the stage with a representative of the Veteran Companion Animal Services (VCAS) out of Delaware Ohio.  The charity rescues shelter dogs and trains them as companion animals for veterans with PTSD.  VCAS is the charity that Mellick supports through his annual giving and the proceeds earned through presenting these exhibits.  His personal goal is to provide the pairing of one dog and one veteran each year.

“As a patriot and a conservative, I realize that I am in the minority in the community of artists.  I would never have won the ArtPrize 8 Grand Prize by the selection of two or three jurors trained and sustained by deconstructed aesthetic values and woke politics of the university. I won by the vote of 40 thousand art smart people who loved what they saw.”

Mellick is spending the remainder of his creativity paying back to those who served and sacrificed.  His work is enjoyed by a broad audience of people who love dogs, veterans, America, fine craftmanship and art.

Exhibition details: The sculptures are not for sale but funds raised from the exhibitions will support Veteran Companion Animal Services of Delaware, Ohio, a regional charity that rescues and trains shelter dogs as companions for veterans with PTSD.

The goal of the exhibition is to raise awareness of the sacrifice and service and promote support for veterans across the United States, through “Man’s Best Friend.”

The Mohican Lodge and Conference Center is located at 1098 Ashland County Road 3006.

See six decades of the artist’s work at www.jamesmellick.com