Creating a Permanent Home

for the Vonnegut Library

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece novel Slaughterhouse-Five, and we are celebrating by unveiling multiple big ideas to educate the public about the World War II prisoner of war, who also was regarded as an American thinker, writer, artist, and humorist. Our lease on Senate Avenue expired February 1, 2019, and our museum is currently closed to the public following eight years of operation. But…here’s the great news…We’ve signed a purchase agreement for a permanent home!

This announcement comes with urgency. We need to raise $1.5 million over the next 90 days to acquire the perfect building for us at 543 Indiana Avenue, across from our public university and in the heart of the historic jazz district of Indianapolis. These funds will allow us to purchase the building and begin renovations needed to open to the public. We’ll need additional funds beyond that to install our exhibitions and offer our programs for students, teachers, veterans, and general readers. We’ve touched the lives of several hundred thousand people over these years as a startup organization, but now we are ready for the next phase.

While we get ready for the move, we are currently operating a gift shop at Circle Centre Mall in downtown Indianapolis, but we can’t tell you how ecstatic we are to open our public museum and library and expand our gift shop. We are also in conversations with restaurant owner Ed Battista of Bluebeard about setting up a café on the first floor of our building. If the stars align, this will make for a powerful visitor experience and hangout for local residents and those who work downtown. There’s no better way to celebrate this important anniversary year than by giving fans and new readers an environment where we can share those things that mattered to Vonnegut: community, humor, music, art, literature, theater, and common decency.

During the relocation, our staff members continue to visit schools, prisons, libraries, and other venues. We held our annual gala “Night of Vonnegut,” sponsored by Wabash College, on April 11, featuring notables Salman Rushdie and Douglas Brinkley. In addition, we presented numerous awards that evening, including the Kurt Vonnegut Common Decency Award to Kimbal Musk for his social work, notably by co-founding Big Green learning gardens for schools.

We have big, ambitious plans, but we cannot do it without you. We know you want to see a Kurt Vonnegut Forever Home, so please help us with our capital campaign efforts by clicking this link to donate online, or because we want to give you the opportunity to donate in a way that is most comfortable for you, you may choose to submit your information using our online form. Simply click on this link to download the form , print it, fill it out, and send it via email to [email protected] OR our mail at:

Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library

P.O. Box 441245

Indianapolis, IN 46244

The addresses are also listed on the form for your convenience.

Regarding schools, we also are undertaking an ambitious book giveaway, providing 86,000 copies of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five to Hoosier high school sophomores throughout 2019. We distributed the first 271 copies of an initial batch of 2,000 books to Shortridge High School in February. We have sustained for eight years because donors of all financial abilities contribute from all over the world, so please consider donating $5 to cover the cost of one book per student. Comedian and KVML supporter Jimmy Kimmel serves as the Honorary Chair of the book giveaway. Here’s what he had to say about books. “On our show, we asked people on the street to share the title of their favorite book. We were shocked to learn that, not only did many people find it difficult to list their favorite book, many found it difficult to list even a single book at all. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of my favorite books and, on this important anniversary, I want to encourage young people in Vonnegut’s home state to read it. It’s the best $5 you can spend.”

If you are thinking big, multiple naming opportunities are available for rooms, exhibitions, and more starting with $50,000 gifts and higher. We recently received our first gift toward the building project; $100,000 from a donor in Illinois. We are so grateful! To make a smaller donation to the building project, the book giveaway, or other programs, visit www.vonnegutlibrary.org, write to [email protected], or call 317-652-1954.

So, that’s what we’re up to… can you believe it? Thank you for helping Kurt get his forever home!