Welcome to KVML

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library champions the literary, artistic, and cultural contributions of the late writer, artist, teacher, and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut. The library and museum serve as a cultural and educational resource unique to the nation.

Preserving Kurt's Legacy

The KVML started with an idea in 2008 to commemorate Vonnegut’s legacy and a generous donation by Katz and Korin, P.C. In 2019, through the generosity of donors and supporters, KVML was able to move to 543 Indiana Ave – also dubbed as “Our Forever Home.” 

At The Museum

KVML houses artifacts, art, a museum store, and books related to Vonnegut. When you visit KVML, you’ll be able to see Vonnegut’s typewriter, Purple Heart, reading glasses, artwork, and other personal items loaned by the family. We also house original exhibits related to Vonnegut and galleries dedicated to veteran artists. The KVML is not only a building full of artifacts. We strive to be a community asset, offering classes, workshops, and a gathering space for our neighbors on Indiana Ave., Indianapolis, and beyond. 

Executive Committee

Fred Biesecker

Secretary

Lewis Black

Chair

Chris Cecil

Vice Chair

Ashley Christie

Treasurer

Kip Tew

Relocation/Facilities Committee Chair

Julia Whitehead

Founder & CEO

Founders Circle

William Rodney Allen, Ph.D.

Retired Faculty, Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts

Terrian C. Barnes

Principal/Owner, Fe-smart LLC

Kenan Farrell

KLF Legal

Mark Lakshmanan, MD

Physician, Eli Lilly and Co.

Marc Leeds, Ph.D.

Researcher, Writer, Lecturer

Christopher Stack

Retired Bone-Setter

Our Sponsors

Board of Directors

Fred Biesecker

General Counsel, Indianapolis-Marion County City-County Council, Retired

Lewis Black

Author, Actor, Humorist

Carole Bostelman

Cummins Inc.

Rodney Byrnes

Founder and Principal of Arrow Street Development

Chris Cecil, Jr.

Business Development Manager, Visit Indy

Ashley Christie

Director, Katz, Sapper & Miller

Mary Lee Gambone

Engineer, Rolls Royce

David Jose

Partner, SmithAmundsen LLC

Gregory Kuhn

Vice-President, First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust

Sampson Levingston

Founder, Through2Eyes Tours

Barry W. Lynn

Retired, Executive Director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Elliott Patrick

Chief Information Officer, City of Indianapolis

Heather Rose, Ph.D., J.D.

Vice President of Technology Licensing & Startups at Thomas Jefferson University & Jefferson Health

Dwight Simmons

Comedian

Joyce Sommers

President and Executive Director Emeritus, Indianapolis Art Center

Neil Teixeira

Director, Online Learning · University of Southern California Annenberg, School for Communication and Journalism

Kip Tew

Partner, Ice Miller

Mark Vonnegut, MD

MVPediatrics

Julia Whitehead,

Founder and CEO of Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library

Mitzi Witchger

Community Arts Advocate

Charlotte Yeung

2022 Indianapolis Youth Poet Laurette

Advisory Board

Zach Adamson

Indianapolis/Marion County City-County Council District 17

Bill Briscoe

Historian for KVML and Delta Upsilon International Fraternity

Terry Burns

Communications Consultant

John Cimasko

Mary Jane Failey

Chris Gahl

Visit Indy

Daniel Griffith

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Gary Gulman

Comedian

David Hoppe

NUVO Newsweekly

Jason Kelly, Ph.D.

Director, Arts and Humanities Institute, IUPUI

Emily Krueger

President and CEO, 16 Tech

Reed Levine, MD

Synovation Medical Group

Jim McDonald

J.P Morgan

Rai Peterson

Associate Professor of English – Ball State University

Kelly Pfledderer

Founder of Apparatus

Matt Schwartz

Chair, US Finance Practice and Head of Venture & Growth Lending, DLA Piper Global Law Firm

Kevin M. Toner

Partner, Baker & Daniels, LLP

Magnus Toren

Director, Henry Miller Library

Sam Van Aken

Artist, Associate Professor at Syracuse University

Hugh Vandivier

Wabash College

Scott Vonnegut

Architect, Kurt Vonnegut’s Nephew

Honorary Board

Linda Ellerbee

Journalist, Author, Producer

Shelly Fitzgerald

Arts Advocate

Michael Moore

Filmmaker

Tim O’Brien

Author and veteran

Sidney Offit

Author

Kevin Schehr

Judge and Vonnegut Book Collector

Daniel Simon

Publisher of Seven Stories Press

Edith Vonnegut

Artist and Daughter of Kurt Vonnegut

Nanny Vonnegut

Artist, Writer, and Daughter of Kurt Vonnegut

Daniel Wakefield

Author

Legal Counsel

David Jose

Michael Schultz

In Memoriam

Museum Staff

Julia Whitehead

Founder & CEO

Chris Lafave

Curator

Chris Speckman

director of vonnegut youth writing program

patrick downey

operations coordinator

jean lampert

volunteer resources manager

Tyrone Beladja

museum associate

daniel whitehead

museum associate

Samaria Wright

Museum Associate

Sean Nash

Museum Assistant

joseph whitehead

museum store coordinator

Shalon Robinson

museum assistant

Zach Amrhien

Museum Associate

Volunteer

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is always in search of volunteers to help with museum operations and special events. We welcome anyone interested in carrying Vonnegut’s legacy of common decency.

To join our volunteer network, complete the online application below. We will add you to our volunteer mailing list to keep you informed of upcoming opportunities.

Employment

The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library operates with a small and dedicated staff of full-time and part-time employees.

There are NO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES at this time, but please check back frequently. If you have any questions please email or call us: [email protected] or call (317) 423-0391

Diversity Statement

New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become.

The staff, boards, and volunteers of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library believe that every individual brings new knowledge for each of us to use. We also believe that each of us as human beings has a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. Thus, we are committed to encouraging the respectful participation of everyone in our efforts.
We embrace differences in age, color, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make human beings unique.

Museum Rental

The KVML invites you to rent the Vonnegut Museum for your marvelous events. KVML hosts private events such as wedding receptions, team-building activities, and much more.  For more information about event rentals email us at [email protected].

Kathi Badertscher, PhD

Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Kathi Badertscher, PhD, is Director of Graduate Programs at the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Dr. Badertscher teaches a variety of BA, MA, and doctoral courses, including Applying Ethics in Philanthropy and History of Philanthropy. She has participated in several Teaching Vonnegut workshops and is a member of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library. Dr. Badertscher has been a guest speaker on ethics in philanthropy, including at the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners – Indianapolis Council; Association of Fundraising Professionals – Indiana Chapter; and Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. In 2019 she received IUPUI Office for Women, Women’s Leadership Award for Newcomer Faculty. In 2019 and 2020 she received the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Graduate Teaching Award.
Dr. Badertscher’s publications include “Fundraising for Advocacy and Social Change,” co-authored with Shariq Siddiqui in Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 5th ed., 2022; “Insulin at 100: Indianapolis, Toronto, Woods Hole, and the ‘Insulin Road,’ co-authored with Christopher Rutty, Pharmacy in History (2020); and three articles in the Indiana Magazine of History: “A New Wishard Is on the Way,” “Evaline Holliday and the Work of Community Service,” and “Social Networks in Indianapolis during the Progressive Era.” Her chapters on social welfare history will appear in three upcoming edited volumes on the history of philanthropy, including “The Legacy of Edna Henry and Her Contributions to the IU School of Social Work,” Women at Indiana University: Views of the Past and the Future, edited by Andrea Walton, Indiana University Press, 2022 (forthcoming). Dr. Badertscher is also the Philanthropy and Nonprofits Consulting Editor for the forthcoming Digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Elizabeth Van Allen, Indiana University Press, 2021. Dr. Badertscher is an active volunteer in the Indianapolis community. At present, she is a Coburn Place Safe Haven Board Member and a Children’s Bureau/Families First Brand and Marketing Advisor. Dr. Badertscher holds the MA in History from Indiana University and the MA and PhD in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Volunteer With KVML

Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library Volunteer Application

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this application’s content.