Vernon T. Bateman was first exposed to art by his grandfather, Bill Franklyn. Growing up in Gary, Indiana well after the rust settled in, Franklyn made ends meet through art: he was a painter, poet, a framer, and more.
Bateman is excited to speak about his grandfather but hesitates when asked about his own trajectory. He remembers how, at 11-years-old he won his school‘s “best art poster board for Gary firefighters“ contest. Then, he mentions that he learned to draw before he learned how to read. Perhaps that’s one reason his entrance into the art world came in the form of “Mommy I Want 2 Fly,“ the first of several children‘s books he wrote and illustrated.
Bateman’s first public show brought out dozens of community members representing a cross-section of our city, including faith leaders, community organizers, artists, and passersby. They were gathered for official unveiling of Bateman’s first murals painted for The District Theatre titled, “The Eclipse Murals.” Since then, Bateman has produced two additional series of murals for the District Theatre in addition to a solo exhibition in July 2024 and numerous group shows.
No one taught Bateman how to read or write until he was an adult. When he did learn, it wasn‘t in a school but in a prison. Incarcerated for a crime he didn‘t commit at the age of 18, he made children‘s books for his own daughter; it was the only way to parent her after a drunk driver killed her mom. Despite the alleged victim recanting their testimony in 2003 and the family pleading for his exoneration, he wasn’t released until last year.
Yet the artist of these works is still not free. Despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence, he hasn’t been exonerated. On November 25, 2024, Congressman André Carson wrote a letter “regarding Mr. Vernon T. Bateman” and acknowledged Mr. Bateman’s “ability to work and make positive contributions to our community.”
Photo: Award-winning Indy Star photojournalist IndyStar reporter Mykal McEldowney interviewing Vernon T. Bateman at DePauw University, where he delivered four guest lectures in a single day in November 2024.