“Robert Rauschenberg and John Mellencamp are driven by the art imperative,” writes Mary Lynn Kotz in her exhibition essay. “They absolutely have to create!” Though separated by a generation, both grew up in the struggling heart of the United States (Rauschenberg in Texas, Mellencamp in Indiana) and both became masters of collage and assemblage art. The aesthetic affinity between Rauschenberg and Mellencamp (also famous as a singer-songwriter) is the subject of this exhibition—the chords, discords, and unexpected harmonies of their work. —E.C.