Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

Artist Jason Turner at Vonnegut Library First Friday Event on January 6

by Shannon on December 26, 2011

On Friday, January 6, The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library will be open from 6PM to 9PM as part of the Indianapolis Downtown Artists & Dealers Association First Friday Gallery Tour. If you want to visit the library in the evening rather than during our regular business hours, this is your chance!

Jason Turner of La Porte, Indiana, will be the featured artist. Jason graduated from Purdue University in 2000 with degrees in fine arts and art education. During college, Jason studied abroad in London. While there, he displayed his art at the Kingsgate Art Gallery. His area of interest generally is portraits done in both medias of paint and oil pastel. Jason’s works have been displayed in London, St. Louis, and Valparaiso, Indiana.

Here’s the link to additional information about January’s First Friday event. Hope to see you there!

–Shannon

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Vonnegut Library receives $50,000 grant from Lilly Endowment

by Shannon on December 18, 2011

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library has received a $50,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to build further our organization’s development in fundraising, board governance, marketing and public relations.

“Lilly Endowment has been a catalyst for our development, and we are thrilled that the organization understands the great potential we have,” said Julia Whitehead, executive director of the Vonnegut Library.

Among other activities, the library plans to use a portion of the funds for consultation and planning of a citywide book festival for 2013, as well as to establish Vonnegut Library chapter presences in San Francisco and New York City. The Vonnegut Library recently announced a Ball State grant and in-kind donations from community partners totaling more than $70,000, an effort spearheaded by Ball State University to improve the library’s marketing efforts and to create a traveling museum, complete with oral histories, a digital library, and historical information about Vonnegut.

The nonprofit Vonnegut Library will celebrate its first anniversary Jan. 28,2012, at the Vonnegut Library, 340 N. Senate Ave., Indianapolis, with an array of speakers, music, and theatrical performances.

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Vonnegut Library Holds Fundraiser at Morty’s Comedy Joint on December 2

by Shannon on November 22, 2011

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. — Kurt Vonnegut

Enjoy a night of great comedy and benefit The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library at the same time! Don’t miss a chance to see nationally known comedian Dave Goldstein at Morty’s Comedy Joint, 3625 E. 96th St., Indianapolis. Show time is 8PM on December 2. Proceeds from online ticket sales for this show will be donated to the KVML.

Ticket prices start at $15.00.

Get your tickets online at http://mortyscomedy.com/show.cfm?id=100874&cart. Be sure to click “Add Coupon” and enter “Library” in the promo code box when ordering online to receive your discount and ensure proceeds benefit KVML.

For more information about this event, contact the library via phone at 317.652.1954, e-mail info@vonnegutlibrary.org, or visit the web site at http://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/.

Due to the fundraiser, please note that there will not be a December First Friday event at KVML.

–Shannon

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Vonnegut Library to hold screening of The Cats of Mirikitani, Art Show, and Discussion with Film Director

by Shannon on November 15, 2011

Join the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in a celebration of art and the human spirit as the KVML proudly presents an Indianapolis showing of the award-winning film The Cats of Mirikitani and discussion with the director of the film, Linda Hattendorf, on November 25 at the Athenaeum Theater.

The film, an official selection at over 75 film festivals, follows the journey of Japanese-American artist Jimmy Mirikitani from the perspective of the filmmaker, Linda Hattendorf, who opens her apartment to the homeless artist after the September 11^th, 2001, terrorist attack on New York. The film is a wonderful blend of beauty, humor, tragedy, and loss. Mirikitani’s experiences allow for an intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war—and the healing power of art. The Cats of Mirikitani is a heartwarming affirmation of humanity that will appeal to all lovers of peace, art, history, and cats.

The film will be shown on November 25 at the Athenaeum Theater, located at 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN. From 7-8 pm, there will be a reception for those who would like to attend. At the $24.00 level, you can attend the private reception (catered by the Rathskeller!) with the film director and see the film after the reception ends. The film and director’s discussion will begin at 8 pm. The price to attend only the film will be $12.00. Purchase tickets at http://mirikitani.eventbrite.com.

Note that some of Jimmy Mirkitani’s art will also be available for viewing at the KVML for six weeks after the event.

We hope to see you at this important event on November 25. Even if you can’t attend, please share this post far and wide!

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Poet Laureates to Speak at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library for First Friday, November 4

by Shannon on October 26, 2011

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library will host three noted poets, including two past Poet Laureates of Indiana and the current Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, on November 4^th, 2011, as part of Brick Street Poetry. The program will consist of Joyce Brinkman, Norbert Krapf, and Bruce Dethlefsen presenting poems on the theme of “Community” and will begin at 5:30 pm as part of IDADA’s First Friday Art Tour.

Joyce Brinkman, Indiana’s poet laureate from 2002 to 2008, believes in poetry as public art. Like her fellow Airpoets, Joyce has poetry in artist Martin Donlin’s stained glass windows at the Indianapolis International Airport. She also collaborated with Arlon Bayliss for his lighted glass art containing her poetry in the new addition of the Central Library, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Joyce is a founding board member and program chair of Brick Street Poetry. A Hanover College graduate, Joyce received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis in 2009.

Norbert Krapf, Indiana Poet Laureate 2008-10, taught for 34 years at Long Island University. His recent publications include Invisible Presence (2006); Bloodroot: Indiana Poems (2008); The Ripest Moments (2008), a childhood memoir; Sweet Sister Moon (2009); and the forthcoming Songs in Sepia and Black and White (2012). Winner of the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America, he received his B.A. from St. Joseph’s College (Ind.) and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. As IPL, he had a special mission to reunite poetry and music (song) and promote collaborations.

Bruce Dethlefsen has been appointed as the Wisconsin Poet Laureate for 2011 and 2012. He has published two poetry chapbooks, A Decent Reed (Tamafyhr Mountain Press, 1998) and Something Near the Dance Floor (Marsh River Editions, 2003) for which he won the Posner Book-length Poetry Award Honorable Mention from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. Breather (Fireweed Press, 2009), his full-length poetry book, received an Outstanding Achievement Award in Poetry from the Wisconsin Library Association. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2003 and 2009.

On Saturday, November 5^th, Joyce Brinkman will be back at the KVML to lead a conversation entitled Creating Community Through Words.

These events are made possible through partnership with Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Both events will be held at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, located at 340 North Senate, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

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Fan Contribution: Motion Graphic by Jon Nix

by twh on October 18, 2011

http://vimeo.com/27863510

As two extremely dedicated Kurt Vonnegut Fans Jon Nix[animator] and Jim Curtis [composer] decided that they wanted to use their personal talents/professions to create an audio visual experience in Kurt’s memory.

For the animation, the library gave me a blank canvas. I’ve always been a fan of minimalist animations but didn’t want to leave it feeling flat. So for a background used multiple paper textures and stains to give the piece and textured feel but left all of the graphics overtop somewhat clean. Each screen is a pivotal event or aspect of his life that I thought best described his character. I wanted the animation as a whole to feel like a worn book found in the rubble at Dresden.
After seeing the animation I was ready to start working on the score. For me the animation set the tone and I needed to create a piece that would fit my own experience of Vonnegut’s work. Simply breaking his style down into two categories, serious and humor. I used these tones to split my piece on one guitar. I chose to make half of the guitar parts in a major key (Indicating the humor in his writing) and the other half in a minor key (serious). The introduction of the marching presents a rhythm that gives the piece an odd but fitting unbalance.
We are very proud to have collaborated to create such an impacting piece for Kurt. It’s a small contribution to his memory but we hope that everyone who views it will appreciate and understand his incredible impact on our lives.

Jon Nix & Jim Curtis

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John Clark to Speak at First Friday Event at KVML on October 7

by Shannon on October 2, 2011

On Friday, October 7^th, John Clark will be speaking at 6 p.m. at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library as part of the IDADA First Friday arts series. Clark will tell the story of how a 1991 encounter with his literary hero Kurt Vonnegut led — through a series of plot twists worthy of an early Vonnegut short story — to the famous author’s contribution of a rare, personalized drawing and message to Clark’s fledgling magazine pLopLop. A slideshow will illustrate Vonnegut’s influence on local independent do-it-yourself publishing focused not on making money but on “making one’s soul grow.” Clark will open up the microphone to members of the audience who would like to share a poem or share a story about Vonnegut.

Clark is a writer, artist, photographer, editor and a founding member of the Big Car arts collective. He established GeekSpeak Unique Press in 1990. In 1991 he met Kurt Vonnegut and also published the first issue of pLopLop Magazine. Clark’s writing appears in a variety of independent micro press publications and his paintings are frequently included in group shows at the Indie Indy art gallery.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the library via phone at 317.652.1954, e-mail info@vonnegutlibrary.org, or visit the web site at http://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/. The KVML is located at the Emelie Building, 340 N. Senate Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46204.

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Banned Books Week: Update on Slaughterhouse-Five Ban in Missouri plus Link to KVML Video

by Shannon on October 1, 2011

On this final day of Banned Books Week, I would like to bring everyone up to date on the removal of Slaughterhouse-Five in Republic, Missouri.

In July, the school board of a southwest Missouri school district voted to remove this Vonnegut classic from the high school library shelves and not include it in the curriculum. In response, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library offered free copies to any of the students at Republic, Missouri’s high school. In addition, several national groups sent a letter to the superintendent and school board of the Republic School District asking school officials to revisit the removal.

On September 19, the board did revisit the issue but with unsatisfactory results. Slaughterhouse-Five is now housed in a secure area of the library. High school students may have access to it if a parent or guardian comes to the library to check it out for them. Needless to say, the Vonnegut library feels this is a false repeal. A statement from Julia Whitehead, the founder and Executive Director of KVML, follows:

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library announced today that it will continue to offer one free copy of Slaughterhouse Five to students at a high school in Republic, Missouri. On Monday, the school board of Republic claimed to have voted to end the ban of Slaughterhouse Five and Sarah Ockler’s Twenty Boy Summer from the school library as the books were deemed “inappropriate” by the school board, based on a complaint by one person who both does not live in the Republic district and home schools his children.

“I was thrilled to see the headline that suggested the school board ended the ban of these books, although their action didn’t really end the ban,” said Julia Whitehead, Executive Director of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. “What they’re doing is making books available to students only if parents or guardians physically come to the school library to check out the books. The books are otherwise being held in a “secure location” within the library, where students cannot access them. These barriers are tantamount to the banning of books and are clearly inconsistent with our democratic freedoms and the free flow of ideas represented by the 1^st Amendment. How do we expect our children to grow up to be inquisitive, educated, participating citizens if we set up such barriers to accessing classic American literature, such as Slaughterhouse Five?”

The Vonnegut Library thanks the State of Indiana for supporting the teaching of one of its favorite sons, who looked at life with wisdom and humor, specifically in Slaughterhouse Five, through the eyes of a young soldier. Whitehead said it is ironic that this action has taken place in Missouri on the eve of the international Banned Book Week, when one of Missouri’s favorite sons, Harry Truman, warned that, “Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and this is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.”

The Vonnegut Library is pleased that part of its celebration for Banned Book Week will include a presentation by Sarah Ockler, the other author whose book was banned at Republic High. Additional programs sponsored during Banned Book Week can be found at www.vonnegutlibrary.org. Students and parents from Republic High School can e-mail info@vonnegutlibrary.org to receive a free copy of Slaughterhouse Five.

We are proud to report that, so far, 55 free copies have been given away to Republic high school students!

For those of you who are interested in learning more about the situation in Missouri as well as some background information on Slaughterhouse Five, please check out this new video featuring Julia Whitehead, which is airing on the YouTube Banned Books Week channel.

As Banned Books Week ends, the struggle against censorship continues.

–Shannon

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