What is Granfalloon?
Presented by the IU Arts and Humanities Council and inspired by legendary Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Granfalloon brings together musicians, artists, thinkers, and good people from all walks of life for a celebration of art, ideas, and community.
The festival kicks off the Bloomington summer arts season and highlights the creative spirit of our region by tapping into the enduring ethos of Vonnegut’s life and work: promoting civic engagement, encouraging independent thought, and championing art and creativity as essential to the spiritual life of individuals and the health of our democracy.
Granfalloon is presented concurrently and in partnership with the Indiana University Writers’ Conference and the Bloomington Handmade Market. Festival events take place in venues all around Bloomington and encompass a wide range of creative forms including live music concerts, literary readings, art exhibits, film screenings, theatrical performances, panel discussions, craft workshops, interactive demos,and more!
Granfalloon 2024 Musical Acts
Spotify 2024 Official Playlist
Check out the Granfalloon 2024 Spotify playlist for a musical overview of the lineup, including Sleater-Kinney, The Linda Lindas, Young@Heart Chorus, and more!
Granfalloon 2024 Guest Speakers
IU Libraries Granfalloon Resources
Granfalloon Collaborative Research Guide
Our friends at IU Libraries started the Granfalloon research guide back in 2022 and have kept it going since. The curated guide will introduce you to Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., his novels, plays, collaborative works, and other creative output, as well as a selection of critical examinations of his life and work. The guide also celebrates works inspired by Vonnegut, his connections to the state of Indiana and beyond, as well as exploring the highlighted themes of each year's annual convergence. Particular emphasis has been placed on resources held by the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries.
Online Film Screening
Browse 18 vintage films from the Moving Image Archive. Jailbird, Vonnegut's 1979 novel which explores themes of censorship, political corruption, incarceration, labor, capitalism, and aging (amongst others), is the inspiration for the 2024 Granfalloon Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Presented by the IU Arts and Humanities Council and inspired by legendary Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Granfalloon brings together musicians, artists, thinkers, and good people from all walks of life for a celebration of art, ideas, and community. IU Libraries is proud to be a sponsor of the 2024 Granfalloon convergence.
This collection of digitized archival films is offered by Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive to amplify and contextualize some of the themes found in Jailbird.
