group, scheduled for May 26 in Third Street Park. Certain Lotus traditions which have fallen by the wayside in recent years, such as the festival procession, will be revived for this year’s festival, and there will be a strong focus on public art, Holladay said. Over the years, backdrops have been created by local artists for Lotus performers at the Buskirk-Chumley, and this year the design will be a community effort. To create the backdrop, Lotus organizers solicited design suggestions from the community in an initiative called “The Power of Pattern.” They got more than 400 submissions, which are now being incorporated into one tapestry. “It’s a lot of fun and a real privilege to be able to translate designs from everybody from kids in elementary school to artists and designers who have been sending us amazing symbols,” said LuAnne. Another design highlight for this year’s Lotus will be the festival T-shirt, which traditionally features work by local artists. The 20th anniversary design comes from Karen Combs, the same artist who designed the shirt for the first-ever Lotus Festival. Combs, who used to live in Bloomington, is now nationally recognized in the interior design world for her boutique wallpaper company, Nama Rococo.
Estate Jewelry Antiques Paintingg
T-shirts featuring Combs’s design for the original festival are also being re-released as a fundraiser for the festival endowment. “It’s a really striking design,” Holladay said. A major part of what makes Lotus great, Holladay said, is the Bloomington community, which creates an appealing performing environment for musicians who might never have heard of Bloomington before. “Our audiences are really good; they are into it, they’re willing to try new things, they’re incredibly welcoming. Because we’re not a giant festival out in a field somewhere—even our bigger tent venues are still relatively intimate—there’s a sense that you can get up close to people,” Holladay said. An especially committed faction of that community comes together to make the festival happen. Holladay said there are about 500 volunteers who help out each year. “Every single one of those people is an ambassador for what we do,” she said. According to Holladay, support from the community, volunteers, sponsors, the city of Bloomington, and IU have all been critical to the festival’s success in the last two decades. “It takes a village. All these things coming together to carry us through the next 20,” she said.
Homestead
Weaving Studio Quality Handwovens by Chris Gustin
Things you can’t find anywhere else! 39 E. Franklin St. in Nashville
(North of Artists Colony Inn–next to where you board the train)
Painting Lessons available, call for times
812-988-4091• cathyscornerbc@gmail.com Also buying estate and vintage jewelry gold and silver (will travel).
Visit us on the Studio Tours
Southeastern Brown County 6285 Hamilton Creek Road Open 11 to 5 most days
(812) 988-8622
www.homesteadweaver.com
April–June 2013 • INto ART 17