“All my jokes are Indianapolis. All my attitudes are Indianapolis. If I ever severed myself from Indianapolis, I would be out of business. What people like about me is Indianapolis.” – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1986.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007) was an internationally-known visual artist, fiction writer, essayist, and peace and environmental activist. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction.  He is best known for his novels Slaughterhouse-Five, Player Piano and The Sirens of Titan, his late-life essays on American politics, and whimsical lithographs often referring to characters in his novels.  Vonnegut often referenced Indianapolis in his writing, and is one of the most celebrated Hoosiers of all time.  This full-length portrait mural of the 20th-century counterculture icon was painted by Indianapolis artist Pamela Bliss.

My Affair with Kurt Vonnegut was created using a compilation of images from the following sources and with the permission of members of the Vonnegut family: the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, artist Shannon Linker (Indianapolis, IN), and Gina Ayvazian (Northampton, MA).

The mural was one of 46 murals commissioned by the Arts Council of Indianapolis as part of its nationally renowned 46 for XLVI mural initiative.