Lotus Education & Arts Foundation

10/22/2024

This week Katarina Koch, Tamara Loewenthal, and Linda Handelsman will attend the Worldwide Music Expo (WOMEX) in Manchester, England.

This team of music aficionados will be scouting new artists for the 2025 Lotus World Music & Arts Festival.

Tell us which artists you would like our team to check out!
* Check out the 2024 WOMEX lineup here: www.womex.com/virtual/artists/
* Share with us which artists you love the most by heading to bit.ly/WOMEX



WOMEX

10/22/2024

Thank you, Buskirk-Chumley Theater!

10/18/2024

Share with us!
Please share your thoughts and feedback about the 2024 Lotus World Music & Arts Festival in our post festival survey. We review your comments and suggestions every year to continuously improve the festival experience. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

Take the survey: bit.ly/2024festsurvey


Photo credit: Kevin Atkins

10/16/2024

Make a Difference with us!

Lotus board members share their voices and support the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation in so many ways.

"I love to bring new people to the festival every year. It is a special gift to offer my clients and friends new experiences that connect them with diverse world cultures, music, and art!" - Lotus Board Member, Jennifer Riley Simone

We are seeking:

* Members who are, above all, committed to the mission of LEAF and can be ambassadors for the organization.

* Diversity among members to be representative of the community.

* A variety of skill sets among the members that are matched to the needs of the Board.

* Members who have leadership skills and a willingness to take leadership positions.

If you would like to share your creative spirit and connect with the Lotus community as a member of the Lotus Board of Directors, please head to bit.ly/jointheboardlotus

10/15/2024

Are you a Bloomingfoods owner-member? You could help Lotus in a BIG way! Please consider giving Lotus your vote for the 2025 Bloomingfoods Positive Change Program. To vote, head to bit.ly/votelotus2025

Lotus has had the incredible opportunity to bring international music and arts experiences to thousands of people in South Central Indiana. Please click below to take a look at our impact reports for more information about all that we do. It's with your support that we can continue celebrating diversity through transformational music and arts experiences.

10/15/2024

Thank you, 2024 Lotus Festival Sponsors and Grantors! It is your support that allows us to continue bringing transformative music and arts experiences to Bloomington and South Central Indiana.

10/15/2024

Lotus festival is built on shared labor and so much love from the Lotus music and arts community. This year, over 400 volunteers helped make Lotus Festival possible!
We are so grateful for your time, talents, and commitment to making this amazing event happen! Another great year in the books, THANK YOU!!

Photo Credit by Daniel Axler, Kevin Atkins, and Katarina Koch

10/14/2024

Share with us!

Please share your thoughts and feedback about the 2024 Lotus World Music & Arts Festival in our post festival survey. We review your comments and suggestions every year to continuously improve the festival experience. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

Take the survey: bit.ly/2024festsurvey



Photo credit: Kevin Atkins

10/14/2024

Thank you for an incredible 31st annual Lotus Festival!

How lucky can we be, Bloomington? The weather was perfect, the artists were exceptional, the streets were vibing! What an incredible weekend!

We are riding the excitement of the festival to say that Lotus happens every year BECAUSE of YOU! You attend, invite your friends, volunteer, donate, sponsor, and show your support in so many ways. Lotus exists BECAUSE of YOU!

And Lotus will continue BECAUSE of what you DO to support it!

Every dollar matters and helps us keep working as a grassroots festival with a global reach! Keep the love, and Lotus, going by heading to lotusfest.org/donate/ and donating today!

Photo Credit by Daniel Axler.

10/03/2024

Grab your walking shoes!

Lotus & First Friday Gallery Walk are partnering to enrich the festival experience with visual arts throughout downtown Bloomington. Connect with music and art from across the globe, explore and feel the vibe of festival street art, and witness how the Bloomington community comes together to celebrate the arts.

When: Friday, October 4 | 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Where: Multiple Bloomington Art Galleries (see the list below)
How: Free Event! Grab a Gallery Walk Passport at the Lotus Fest Info. Tent or at any of the participating galleries.

Participating Galleries:
By Hand Gallery - 101 W Kirkwood Ave, #109
Bloomington Fine Art Supply - 207 S. Rogers Street
Gallery B at Bloomingfoods - 316 W 6th St
Juniper Art Gallery - 615 W Kirkwood Ave
Monroe County Public Library - 303 E. Kirkwood Ave
Cook Center for Public Arts & Humanities - 750 E. Kirkwood Ave (Maxwell Hall)
John Waldron Arts Center - 122 S Walnut St
Monroe Convention Center - 302 S. College Ave

Find more information at lotusfest.org/events

10/02/2024

Our closing concert begins with this year’s Lotus Dickey Artists, Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small. They are award-winning singers, songwriters, and multi-instrumentalists with soul-stirring harmonies. We follow up with vibrant multilingual singer Luciane Dom, a contemporary artist from Rio de Janeiro. She weaves musical influences as diverse as Afrobeat, Urban Jazz, and Reggae into songs with themes of Black diaspora, feminism, and empowerment.

When: Sunday, October 6 | 3:00 PM (doors 2:30 PM)
Where: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
How: To purchase tickets ($20), head to lotusfest.org/tickets

*** Attendees will receive a 2024 Lotus Festival Pin as they walk in the door to the concert.



Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small Luciane Dom
Buskirk-Chumley Theater

10/02/2024

Lotus bookends the 2024 festival with expansive Latin rhythms and hot Old-Time music. From Havana, Cuba, our Thursday featured performer, Telmary, has emerged as a leader at the cutting edge of hip-hop and urban music in her home country, wowing audiences with her powerful words. We open the evening with CoolMule, local favorites in the Old-Time scene.

When: Thursday, October 3 | 7:00 PM (doors 6:30 PM)
Where: Buskirk-Chumley Theater
How: To purchase tickets ($30), head to lotusfest.org/tickets



Telmary & HabanaSana Buskirk-Chumley Theater

10/02/2024

We are happy to partner with the Monroe County Public Library (303 E Kirkwood Ave) for another great, FREE Lotus Festival event.

Join Deepa Shah to learn simple Indian Henna techniques and our partners from the National Taiwan University (NTU) Huayu BEST Program to learn simple Chinese Calligraphy techniques.

When: Saturday, October 5 | 11:00 AM - Noon
Where: MCPL (303 E Kirkwood Ave)
How: Free and open to the public



Monroe County Public Library

10/02/2024

Join us for an all-day immersive yoga and self-care experience or pop in for a session or two. Students of all levels are welcome to join these accessible practices and are encouraged to work at their own pace. Bring a mat, water, blanket, and props as needed. Plan to arrive 5 minutes early for introductions. Participation in these sessions is at your own risk.

These sessions are FREE. Donations are gratefully accepted and will benefit Lotus Blossoms which has been bringing music and arts education to schools and community members throughout South Central Indiana since 1996.

11:00 A.M. - Yin-Restorative Yoga with Nourishing Heart Yoga
NOON - Self Myofascial Release with Bloomington Yoga Collective
1:00 P.M. - JourneyDance with Tessa Bent
1:30 P.M. - Yoga of Voice with Stephanie Heideman

Find more information at lotusfest.org/events

10/02/2024

We can't wait to hear these amazing interviews with 2024 Lotus Festival Artists!

09/28/2024

We are delighted to recognize the 2024 Lotus Festival Producing Sponsor, Old National Bank! Thank you for your generosity and commitment to celebrating diversity through music and the arts. The Lotus Festival happens because of your support.

Old National Bank
Old National Bank

09/27/2024

HT article about next week’s Lotus 2024 Lotus World Music & Arts Festival!

09/27/2024

The Lotus Galleries at the Waldron Arts Center are now open!

Come by and enjoy three galleries!

1. Education Gallery: Lotus Volunteer HQ Past, Present, and Future. This exhibit is a visual tribute to Lotus volunteers.

2. Miller Gallery: Osogbo Nigeria Retrospective. Spearheaded on the hundredth birthday of legendary curator and artist Susanne Wenger, the OSOGBO Art & Heritage exhibition celebrates the indelible imprint and impact of the Osogbo School of Art on the contemporary art landscape over the last 63 years.

3. Spotlight Gallery: Lotus@ 30 Our Community Fabric. This exhibit features a lineup of every Lotus Festival T-shirt from the past 30 years, collected from Lotus attendees and community members, along with their stories.

Sponsored by IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, + Design

For more information, head to lotusfest.org/events/lotus-galleries-at-the-waldron-arts-center/



John Waldron Arts Center

09/27/2024

It is with immense gratitude that we recognize the 2024 Lotus Festival Presenting Sponsors. Your generosity and dedication to celebrating diversity through music and the arts are what make the Lotus Festival possible. THANK YOU!



Indiana University
IU Bloomington Office of the Provost

09/27/2024

2024 Lotus Festival Pin!

We want to make sure you have all of the information about the 2024 Lotus Festival Pin designed by Sally Harless AKA Sadly Harmless Illustration.

In years past, the pin was your ticket to the Lotus Festival Sunday Closing Concert. This year, that is NOT THE CASE!

This year, everyone who purchases a 2024 Sunday Closing Concert Ticket will receive a pin as they walk in the door to the concert.
Tickets are $20.00.

Festival Pins will also be for sale at the Lotus Festival Store! If you purchase one before the Sunday Closing Concert, you will simply receive another pin at the door of the concert. Pins at the Festival Store will be $15.

09/26/2024

Please become acquainted with three more amazing Lotus Festival Artists: CoolMule, Dan Kusaya, and Forgotten Tribe.

Local favorites CoolMule are Genevieve Koester, Jesse Woolen-Danner, Abby Ladin, and Sam Bartlett (on fiddle, guitar, bass, and banjo, respectively). This is the latest and greatest Midwest old-time band to emerge from our soil.

Born in Rusape, Zimbabwe, Dan Kusaya is both a skilled performer and a teacher dedicated to passing on Southern African music and culture to new audiences. He is a one-man band, live looping multiple instruments in performances that include traditional Zimbabwean songs, stories, and instrumentation.

The Latin fusion, hip-hop, and reggae of Forgotten Tribe is feel-good music for the soul. Having brought our Summer Night of Lotus audience to its feet, the band returns to grace the Lotus in the Park stage.

Read the full artist bios and find video links to performances by heading to:
lotusfest.org/lineup/




Forgotten Tribe

Dan Kusaya

09/26/2024

Lotus board members share their voices and support the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation in so many ways.

Express interest in joining the board by heading to bit.ly/jointheboardlotus

We are seeking:

* Members who are, above all, committed to the mission of LEAF and can be ambassadors for the organization.

* Diversity among members to be representative of the community.

* A variety of skill sets among the members that are matched to the needs of the Board.

* Members who have leadership skills and a willingness to take leadership positions.

If you would like to share your creative spirit and connect with the Lotus community as a member of the Lotus Board of Directors, please click the link below. We would love to hear from you!

10/31/2023

Looks like fun!

10/31/2023

Come join us tomorrow at 6pm for A Day of the Dead Celebration!

10/30/2023

See you there! See our post below for more information on the Lotus activity.

Meet us at the First Thursdays Fall Festival— we’re kicking off the Taylor Swift conference with various activities all around the IMU✨