Sam Bartlett

Musician, artist, author, and stuntologist Sam Bartlett considers himself an “art instigator.” “I love to work with people who have no idea how powerful and satisfied they can be as creators,” Sam says. “I am less interested in art being ‘good’ and more concerned with what art is good for: the opening up and empowerment of our individual and collective imaginations.” As an artist-in-residence, Sam has created large-scale puppets, masks, and public murals.  As a musician (performing mainly on mandolin and banjo), he tours the U.S. with the dance band Notorious and plays with other string bands and old-time bands, locally and on the East Coast.

For this year’s Lotus, Sam is conducting a series of workshops with teens at Rhino’s Youth Center to create a “cranky,” a scrolling narrative of story+art+music to tell the tale of Lotus Dickey, the Orange County musician who was a partial namesake for the first Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The Lotus Dickey cranky will premiere at the Festival’s kick-off concert.

This project is supported in part by the City of Bloomington Arts Commission’s Arts Project Grant Program.

Thursday, September 28
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