The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library is hosting an exhibition of artworks representing the stories of Kilgore Trout in Vonnegut’s work. Fantasies of an Impossibly Hospitable World will open June 3rd at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library.
As you may know, Kilgore Trout is the fictional alter ego of the famed Hoosier author, Kurt Vonnegut. In several of Vonnegut’s works he describes the plots of many science fiction stories attributed to Kilgore Trout. Vonnegut frequently uses these plots as a humorous means of making a social critique. Vonnegut writes, “Trout’s favorite formula was to describe a perfectly hideous society, not entirely unlike his own, and then, toward the end, to suggest ways in which it could be improved.”
The aim of the exhibition is to celebrate Trout’s place in Vonnegut’s literary cannon by visually representing what typically only appears in print. Attached is a spreadsheet containing a list of Trout’s stories, the novels they appeared in, and the description of the plots as they appear in the novel.
All interested artists should select a story from the list and make a piece based on the text. Pieces can be in any medium, but should be no larger than 22" x 30", due to space limitations.
To submit your work, contact tyler.keenan@vonnegutlibrary.org . In this email include your name and contact information, an image of the piece, title, medium, dimensions, and the Trout story it is based on. Submissions are due May 20th and accepted artists will be notified by May 23rd. Feel free to contact Tyler with any questions.
They look forward to seeing your work.
