Louisville is the proud hometown to one of America's greatest counter-culture figures, Hunter S. Thompson: a writer that shattered the norms of journalistic writing and pioneered a distinct, experimental writing style that is widely celebrated and known as "Gonzo."
For the past four years, Thompson's long-time friend and fellow poet, Ron Whitehead [4], has produced GonzoFest Louisville [5] to commemorate Thompson's creative impact on literature, art, and music. Last year GonzoFest along with many partners created a "Hunter's Gonzoville" banner that is displayed on the Bristol Bar and Grill building on Bardstown Road in his memory.
This year they are taking this tradition of commemoration one step further with a life-size bronze statue of Thompson designed and constructed by local sculptor, Matthew Weir [6]. Weir's designs for the statue will be on display at GonzoFest 2015 on April 11th and the unveiling of the finished piece will come in 2016.
However, the funds to commission such a great memoriam don't appear out of thin air. GonzoFest relies on donations and local support to to carry out the financial cost of curating the memory of Louisville's literary hero.
GonzoFest launched an Indiegogo campaign [7] on February 17th with a goal of raising $3,000 for the construction and material cost of the statue. There are various ways to contribute from small donations to donation packages like, "The Great Shark Hunt" and "Fear and Loathing in the Ville" which include different Gonzo perks. The campaign ends April 18th, so click here [7] to donate and help be a part in the making!
Photos Courtesy of pwnkle.com and GonzoFest Louisville 2015