One of our sponsors and outreach partners is Indiana University’s Collins Living-Learning Center. Associate Director Yara Clüver talks about the Lotus-Collins connection.

Yara Clüver is an artist, educator, researcher, advocate, mother – and during her working hours, Associate Director of Indiana University’s Collins Living-Learning Center. There, she both teaches and helps coordinate the co-curricular and extra-curricular programming and facilities managed by the Collins Arts Council – one of the Center’s many student-run governing bodies.

“The core values of Collins are academic engagement, diversity, community, student empowerment, and sustainability,” explains Yara. “We bring these values to life by offering our residents broad opportunities to explore their creativity, leadership potential, and ways to give back to the community.”

Established in the 1970s as a unique collaboration between IU’s Residential Programs Services and the College of Arts & Sciences, Collins was one of the university’s first living-learning centers. “It has a long tradition of fostering students’ engagement and involvement in determining their own academic careers,” says Yara.

She contends that “creativity” should be included as one of the core values of Collins. “Our students are very engaged and motivated…. When people think about Collins, they talk about the ‘artsy dorm,’ and while I don’t like to perpetuate those stereotypes, people interested in the arts and in extra-curricular activities that involve creative thinking and problem-solving … there is a way in which those interests mesh.”

Australian storyteller and musician Paul Taylor leads a didjeridoo workshop at Collings Living-Learning Center, 2008

In addition to supporting the festival, Collins has also hosted an artist workshop through the Lotus Blossoms program. Clüver recalls, “We did a didgeridoo-making workshop with Paul Taylor [in 2008]. It was one of our most popular events. We would love to bring more of these events into Collins.”

Each IU Residence Hall is associated with a community organization, and the Collins Living-Learning Center is a longstanding partner in the Middleway House Rise Kids children’s program and through the Collins Community Involvement group. “Collins is also an active partner in the IU Themester sustainability program,” says Clüver.

“When we get a proposal from an organization like Lotus, I talk to Arts Council members about the relevance of supporting things that we feel are important – and the students love going to the Festival,” Yara laughs. “But it also is a way of getting our name out there and letting people know what Collins stands for and what we believe.”

Well, 2011 is almost history — and we’re in a reflective mood. It’s a perfect time to look back and (what else?) make a list of highlights. Here are twelve reasons we had a great year.

1. Binford and Lotus Days at the Lotus Blossoms World Bazaar

It was our first proclamation: Mayor Mark Kruzan acknowledged a decade of partnership between Lotus and the Binford Elementary School, which has hosted our annual Lotus Blossoms Bazaar since 2002. In the Mayor’s words, “Binford and Lotus have worked together to help young people in Monroe County learn more about the amazing varied cultures of the world, paving the way for a lifetime of learning and appreciation of other peoples and their customs.”

Getting the feel of new languages and alphabets and the 2011 Lotus Blossoms Bazaar

• Here’s all you need to know about Lotus Blossoms – in less than 11 minutes.  
• For more Blossoms goodness, see graduate assistant Kathryn Rudolph’s Bazaar gallery, and a kids-eye-view of the Lotus Blossoms Bazaar.

2. Our sixth year of endowment building with the Matchstick Initiative

Each year since 2006, we’ve qualified to participate in this endowment-building project sponsored by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. So far, we’ve added $65,000+ to the Lotus-Fitzgerald Endowment Fund via this initiative. It’s a challenge for smaller nonprofits to do the all-important work of saving for the future – but Matchstick makes it possible by providing a matching-funds program for donors. You give, Matchstick gives, and Lotus’s future looks brighter ever year. Give now to the Lotus-Fitzgerald Endowment — just write “Endowment” in the “Designate my donation” box.

Mavis on stage at Lotus 2011; photo by Ann Schertz

3. Mavis

This year’s Lotus World Music and Arts Festival opened with a sold-out concert by the legendary Mavis Staples – a true headliner, at a festival that rarely has one. It was a show we’ll always remember.

4. Times are tough, but our sponsors came through.

We thank this year’s sponsors and individual donors for sustaining us:

• Lotus Blossoms presenting sponsor the Raymond Foundation, Adopt-a-School sponsors, and everyone else who supported our educational outreach programming
• The folks who came to Edible Lotus, our annual fundraiser
• Our festival presenting sponsors – Bloomingfoods, Indiana University–Bloomington, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA grant is the result of a group application made with a consortium of Midwest festivals working together to bring international performing artists to the U.S.
• Our Friends of Lotus donors – individuals who support our mission with annual gifts. You can give here and now, by the way — the tax-deductible donations of Friends of Lotus support our operations and programming throughout the year.

This year's Edible Lotus signature art by Deborah Klein

5. The Edible Lotus Night Bazaar

We changed up our annual fundraiser, from a sit-down affair to tapas, and a silent auction that ran the gamut from repurposed vintage Lotus T’s made into shoulder bags, to a Qing dynasty head of a Buddha.

A Lotus "tiny house" in the festival Arts Vilage; photo by Paula Grez

6. It was a good year for Lotus visual arts.

We started with a string of workshops with community groups, making a couple hundred banners that became the walls of a Community Labyrinth in the Festival’s Arts Village. This year also marked the return of the gallery exhibition to festival visual arts: “Woven Treasures,” works from the collection of George Malacinski and Kirstine Lindemann.

Graduate interns Emma Seeley and Kathy Varble wrote brief posts about their experiences with Lotus Visual Arts this year, and you can check out a gallery of Festival arts images.

Look for BTown Lotus again in 2012

7. BtownLotus

The creative team at the Bloomington tech firm WhimMill came up with a spiffy new app for fans who like their Lotus on the go. It worked for us, and it worked for them: they’re marketing the app – Rendezville – worldwide.

Volunteers at the Bazaar, ready and waiting for 1,000 or so 4th-graders

8. Our incredible volunteers.

From helping kids learn about world cultures at the Lotus Blossoms Bazaar, to setting tables at Edible Lotus, to taking down festival tents at 1 a.m., our Lotus volunteers are the best in the land. And that includes our dedicated board of directors, and the committee members who work behind the scenes to plan events. You rock. Every one of you. Full stop.

• Look back at the year in Lotus volunteering
• Watch graduate intern Alejandro Lance’s interviews with Festival volunteers

A Belle sways over Kirkwood Avenue on Lotus Saturday night; photo by Gerry Girman

9. The Three Belles

Thanks to the IU Auditorium and the Theatre and Drama Department, plein aire performance art and acrobatics were part of this year’s festival scene. The Belles are a creation of Australia’s Strange Fruit, and they defied icky weather to bring new experience to this year’s Lotus.

• The Three Belles perform on Kirkwood

Paul Taylor and some young "kangaroos" at the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club

10. Lotus Blossoms for 9,000 kids

Paul Taylor is officially in the Lotus Blossoms pantheon: thanks to him a few thousand kids in Bloomington know something about Australian Aboriginal dreamtime traditions. And thanks to Dennis Stroughmatt, all of us (Lotus staff included) discovered that, yes, there is a history of Creole culture in the Midwest. Dennis speaks articulately about the importance of Lotus Blossoms — and cultural exploration for Indiana students — in our Lotus Blossoms video.

Umbrellas of Lotus; photo by Michael Redman

11. Lotus in the Park. Even in the rain.

What to do, when you have to prepare a rained-on park for a couple of thousand Lotus fans? Two words: hay bales. Sure, it’s nice to have a gorgeous late-summer day for Lotus in the Park on festival weekend – but a little rain didn’t spoil a great day of music, dancing, and good Lotus vibes. Revisit Lotus in the Park with graduate intern Alejandra Lance’s look back at our day in the park.

Bomba Estéreo; photo by Elizabeth Hershey

12. The Festival — because it always surprises us.

We’re always excited about the roster and the schedule, and we have good guesses about which artists or groups will go over big. Bomba Estéreo? Check. Creole Choir of Cuba? Check. But who knew that Movits would blow the roof off two nights in a row? And then the Nordic string ensemble Frigg decided to spend some time with students in the IU String Academy – and invited them on stage during a performance. And lest we forget: Mavis Staples. And Three Belles in the rain. And Martha Sechler’s fine festival art. We could go on. And on.

• Take a look at this year’s Festival scrapbook for snapshots of your favorite artists
• Graduate assistant Wesley Lovell was this year’s artist liaison — here’s his report

Support Lotus programming –

Become a Friend of Lotus! Your tax-deductible donation helps us fulfill our mission: to create opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world’s cultures, through music and the arts. Right here in southern Indiana!

Each year, we recruit a small group of volunteer photographers to document Lotus — while videographer Duane Busick covers the digital video side. Below, you’ll find a small cross-section of their photos of the action on and around the stages of the 18th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. This year’s photo corps included Kevin Atkins, Gerry Girman, Pat Glushko, Paula Grez, Elizabeth Hershey, Jim Krause, Andy Qualls, and Michael Redman. Thanks to all for capturing Lotus, frame by frame. {Pictured above: Movits! photographed by Paula Grez}

To peruse Duane Busick’s Lotus video archive, visit our YouTube channel.

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It’s hard to capture the colors, the textures, the movement — and the fun — of our arts projects in 2011. But we’re going to try. This  gallery captures some of our favorite adventures in arts from the year almost gone.

Click on any thumbnail to start viewing images.

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Lotus volunteers — You set up (and take down) lots of stuff. You greet, you schlep, you check wristbands and point people in the right direction. Sometimes, you even clown around. Thanks for all that you’ve done this year to help us bring our mission to life.

Click on any image to start viewing slides.

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Alejandra Lance, a graduate student in IU’s Arts Administration program, took to the streets during this year’s Lotus World Music and Arts Festival to record her impressions of the proceedings. This is the one of a three-part series of her look back at Lotus 2011. Photo of Mavis Staples, above, by Ann Schertz.

Once a year, 10,000 or so people come together in this small Midwestern city to enjoy a world of culture.

Devoted volunteers and regular attendees think of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival as the heart of Bloomington – and that spirit wasn’t drenched by the rain.

Umbrellas of Lotus; photo by Michael Redman

This year’s Lotus kicked off on Thursday with a fantastic, soulful (sold-out) concert by the legendary Mavis Staples.

At one point, she called two nephews (they live in the Indianapolis area) to the edge of the stage, to shake hands and hug. People who were in the audience that night are still talking about the show, which ended with a rousing rendition of the Staples Singers’ “I’ll Take You There.”

Volunteers assemble Tiny Houses in the Arts Village. Photo by Pat Glushko.

On Friday, hard-working volunteers worked feverishly all day to transform downtown Bloomington into a festival zone.

While little houses and a labyrinth gradually appeared in the Arts Village, musicians performed sound checks on multiple stages. Crowds exchanged tickets for wristbands and examined their schedules, ready to hop from venue to venue. The skies were clear, the weather was beautiful, and the night was full of music, laughter, and friendship.

Irish accordion master Paul Brock; photo by Elizabeth Hershey.

The next day brought rain, but in spite of the showers and chilly weather, Saturday was just as packed.

There was a buzz about the Australian aerial group Strange Fruit, who would perform twice that night on Kirkwood. In typical Lotus fashion, there was something for everyone, from Colombian hip-hop and electronica (Bomba Estéreo) to  traditional Irish music (from the Brock McGuire Band). Canzoniere Greconica Salentino filled the Buskirk-Chumley Theater with gorgeous Italian music (and some songs with a Greek flavor). Frigg, from Scandinavia, brought some unexpected special guests on stage: students from IU’s String Academy, who normally study classical violin.

Frigg's Alina Järvelä (far right) with young members of IU's String Academy; photo by Kevin Atkins.

Sidi Touré; photo by Elizabeth Hershey.

The harmonies and instrumentation of the Sidi Touré Trio transported me to an African dreamland as I listened to their set in the First United Methodist Church. Like the festival itself, the experience of seeing this great Malian musician here in Bloomington, Indiana – in a church, surrounded by an attentive, devoted audience – was magical.

More from Alejandra:

• Check out her festival video
• Lotus in the Park
• The Lovely Belles

Alejandra Lance is a graduate Arts Administration student at Indiana University graduating December 2011. She has a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Miami University of Ohio and currently works at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and at IU SPEA Career Services as a graduate assistant. Originally from Wisconsin, Alejandra loves to travel, learn languages (she’s learning her fourth) and knit.  This was her second Festival, and she volunteered for Lotus Blossoms earlier this year.

Graduate intern Alejandra Lance perused the large gallery of images from our volunteer photographers to come up with some of her favorite snaps from Lotus in the Park. This year’s day in the park looked, well, kind of like a wet fall day in Indiana — but Lotus fans defied the weather to turn out in droves. Park photo above by Pat Glushko.

Photos by Michael Redman (left) and Pat Glushko

Revving up for the second night of concerts, Saturday’s Lotus in the Park attracted music lovers and families alike. The rain didn’t dampen anyone’s energy. We covered mud with straw, people brought out umbrellas and slickers, and danced. It was a great day.

Photo by Pat Glushko

Bulgarika performed on the main stage and led folk dances on the straw-covered ground.

Members of the Lotus Dickey Tribute, l-r: Grey Larsen; Nan McEntire, Mark Feddersen; Janne Henshaw. Photos by Pat Glushko

Those more interested in an intimate and often interactive musical setting went to the IU Global Education Pavilion. Here, festival-goers sang in the Lotus Dickey song workshop. Later, Vancouver’s Orchid Ensemble demonstrated their lovely Asian fusion on Chinese instruments, and finally, Bernard Woma led the crowd in Ghanaian drumming and dance.

Photo by Michael Redman

The Art Camp stayed busy all day. Children contributed to community weavings and murals, but also made cornstarch peanut sculptures and fish flags to take home. One father made a basketball hoop out of the peanuts, while his son made baskets from across the table. Another very young participant sculpted an elephant with the help of her mother. (Thanks go out to the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and T.C. Steele Historic Site for their contributions and collaboration.)

All photos by Michael Redman except upper right, by Pat Glushko

Lotus in the Park saturated the senses. Rather than leaving the kids at home to enjoy concerts, parents brought kids along to play, to make art, and to soak up the sights and sounds. Pictured above: Singer Eilen Jewell, with a young fan in front of the stage; dancers and drummers in the Bernard Woma workshop; and parents and kids collaborating on arts projects.

Joaquin Diaz; photo by Pat Glushko

For volunteers and audience alike, the park experience is a chance to have a taste of everything at once: a small version of the arts village, with performers like Eileen Jewel, Bulgarika, and Joaquin Diaz — who finished Lotus in the Park with Dominican merengue just as the real rains came.

Alejandra Lance is a graduate Arts Administration student at Indiana University graduating December 2011. She has a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Miami University of Ohio and currently works at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and at IU SPEA Career Services as a graduate assistant. Originally from Wisconsin, Alejandra loves to travel, learn languages (she’s learning her 4th) and knit. This was her second Lotus Festival, and she volunteered for Lotus Blossoms earlier this year.

See Alejandra’s two other post-Lotus posts — Looking Back at Lotus, and Looking Back at Lotus: The Lovely Belles — and her festival video.

This year’s Lotus street action focused on the aerial artistry of Australia’s Strange Fruit, who performed on the IU campus on Thursday and Friday, and in the middle of a rainy Kirkwood Avenue on Saturday night. Here are grad student Alejandra Lance’s impressions of the Three Belles. The performance was made possible by the IU Auditorium and the IU Department of Theatre and Drama.

The Three Belles on the lawn in from the IU's Art Museum. Photo by Paul Sturm.

Walking back from class on Friday, I happened upon the aerial artists of Strange Fruit, in front of the IU Art Museum. It wasn’t a path I normally take, but I was drawn to the music and the awe of the people who had gathered on the lawn to watch. Against the backdrop of a dreary sky and grey limestone architecture, three women bent and swayed majestically on tall, impossibly flexible poles. Their dark purple and pink gowns pouffed with the breeze. I found myself swaying serenely along with them. The movement transfixed me; I was almost in a dream.

A Belle is swarmed by pre-schoolers when she returns to earth. Photo by Kevin Atkins.

Then, logistical questions came to mind. How did they get up there? How do they get down? Are they controlling the movement? But my thoughts drifted, again as with the frivolity and girlish whimsy of their slightly bawdy burlesque. The women lifted their skirts, and the audience laughed together. And everything was happening twenty feet above the crowd! I couldn’t wait to see them at the festival the next night.

Above the crowd at the IU Art Museum; photo by Kevin Atkins

I spent the rest of the day telling friends and strangers about them, urging them to go. I would walk into a shop and as the clerk rang me up, I’d tell her to catch the next performance.

As Lotus began Saturday night, the skies darkened and the temperature dropped. Patrons anxiously whispered they should have brought their umbrellas; perhaps it would rain after all. No matter: Canzioniere Greconica Salentino was about to begin in the Buskirk-Chumley; from there, a quick dash to First Methodist Church to hear Orchid Ensemble’s final songs. As the last notes died out, the audience hustled out to Kirkwood through the first drops of rain — and colored dots of umbrellas popped open in the street. I rounded the corner, and the Three Belles’ poles were being taken down – a postponed first show. No matter, the rain would stop eventually. The crowd dispersed for more music until then.

One of the three Belles sways over Kirkwood Avenue on Lotus Saturday night. Photo by Gerry Girman.

I stuck around, munching on a Blu Boy chocolate chip cookie, drenched to the bone. I had a mix of swing and hip-hop beats coursing through my head courtesy of Movits. My feet were too sore for me to check it out, but I wondered how the Arts Village chalk graffiti looked with all the rain. Just then, I noticed several couples walking back towards the staging area for Strange Fruit. The rain had stopped, at least for now, and everyone grabbed their cameras to catch the magic that was about to happen.

See videographer Duane Busick’s video of the Belles Kirkwood performance

Captivating crowds on Kirkwood at night; photo by Michael Redman

Alejandra Lance is a graduate Arts Administration student at Indiana University graduating December 2011. She has a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Miami University of Ohio and currently works at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and at IU SPEA Career Services as a graduate assistant. Originally from Wisconsin, Alejandra loves to travel, learn languages (she’s learning her 4th) and knit. This was her second Lotus Festival, and she volunteered for Lotus Blossoms earlier this year.

See Alejandra’s two other post-Lotus posts — Looking Back at Lotus, and Lotus in the Park — and her festival video.

This year’s festival artist liaison — the person in charge of coordinating all communication between Lotus and the 20-odd groups on the festival roster — was grad assistant Wesley Lovell. He did a great job, and lived to tell the tale. We asked him what he thought of the experience. Photo of Movits’ Johan Rensfeldt, left, by Gerry Girman.

When Lee Williams, our intrepid Lotus director, asked me back in the spring if I was interested in being the artist liaison for this year’s festival, I agreed. After all, I liked working for Lotus and I thought it would be a good experience. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Don’t get me wrong: I still like working for Lotus (actually, I love it more than ever) and it was a fantastic experience. But there were many unexpected highlights and struggles along the way: one minute, I’d be jumping for joy; the next, I’d want to pull my hair out. Looking back, some moments from this year’s festival really stand out:

Waiting for my phone call from an artist’s manager: nerve-wracking.

What if I screwed it all up and the artist pulled out and Lotus was ruined forever? This was a recurring thought as I took on more and more tasks leading up to the festival. (It all went swimmingly, actually.) As it turns out, most managers are perfectly nice, reasonable people. Who knew? Karen Fischer (manager for both Te Vaka and Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole) and Sherry McKenzie (with the Quebe Sisters Band) were especially nice to a newbie artist liaison like me.

Flags mark the entrance to the Festival Arts Village, 2011; photo by Michael Redman

The Arts Village was one part of the festival I didn’t have a hand in –

even with all the work I was doing, it was awesome to see that there were still aspects of the festival that caught me by surprise.

A few weeks before the festival, I realized something:

I’d been told about all the things I had to do before the big weekend, but no one had mentioned what I’d be doing during Lotus. When I asked LuAnne Holladay (assistant director) what I’d be doing that weekend. She laughed and said, “You’ll be running around with a walkie-talkie, putting out fires. And you’ll be on everyone’s speed dial.” She wasn’t kidding. I don’t know that my legs and feet have ever been as sore as they were Sunday night after the festival.

A performance outside of the Buskirk Chumley Theater. Seeing street performers showed me how much impact and inspiration the festival can have outside of the official performances and venues. Photo by Michael Redman

Friday was crazy.

One moment, I’d need to get to the Buskirk-Chumley to meet an artist’s manager; next, I’d have to sprint to the big tent venue to see if a band had arrived for a scheduled sound check (no, they hadn’t). Somewhere in there, I’d get lunch (maybe around 3:30). Sometimes, my cell phone would ring while I was talking to Lee on the walkie-talkie. The day evaporated, through set-up, sound checks, and show time.

The first performance that I actually had time to stop, watch, and enjoy was Movits! on Friday night.

By this point, I had seen the crowds moving from venue to venue; people seemed to be enjoying themselves and having a good time. But watching this performance, I finally got it. I got to see some of the fruit of my labors firsthand – these four cool Swedes doing a hip-hop, rap, swing thing – and I got to see about 1,000 people going crazy for a group I hadn’t even heard of six months ago. I remember thinking to myself, “Oh. So this is what it’s all about.”

Seeing Movits! perform is a festival memory that will stay with me for a long time. Photo by Elizabeth Hershey

As the Friday night of Lotus wound down, after I’d made sure everything was running smoothly (no artists looking for hotel rooms; no managers trying to find lost CDs), I found may way back to the office, to sit down, give my legs a rest, and retreat from the action. As tiring, and long, as sometimes frustrating as the day may have been, I was proud of how smoothly things were going. That feeling of relief — and excitement — was incredibly gratifying.

Anita DeCastro (left; a former Lotus grad assistant) performed with a Brazilian percussion and dance group at the artist after-party on Saturday night, leading the artists in a 40-minute jam session that kept me dancing, despite my exhaustion. Photo by Andy Qualls

After Sunday’s final performance, I thought, “Huh. What am I going to do with my time now?”

Sure, I could do important things like sleep and catch up on schoolwork, but I was already missing the excitement of working on the Festival.

Tareq Rantisi (left) and Ali Amr delivered a great performance on Sunday – showing me that Lotus has great performances from beginning to end. Photo by Kevin Atkins.

My Lotus was fantastic. If you were there, I hope yours was, too. And if you come to next year’s festival (Sept. 20-23), you’ll probably be able to spot a frazzled graduate student running around with a walkie-talkie. It’s probably the artist liaison.

Wesley is finishing coursework for his Master’s degree in Arts Administration at IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In January, he’ll be going back home to the Washington, D.C., area for an internship with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He’s loved being a graduate assistant at Lotus and is hopeful that he can make it back for next year’s festival.

Graduate intern Kathy Varble spent her summer with Lotus as one of our visual arts interns. She discovered, among other things: “Children + glitter = chaos.” Read graduate intern Emma Seeley’s post here.

The first time I met with Deborah [Klein, visual arts coordinator] at the Lotus office, where she told me about the “magic carpets” and other projects of the Visual Arts Village, I knew I’d found where I wanted to spend my summer. She described the vibrant swaths of fabric to be decorated with all sorts of lovely little bits of materials by children and other community members, in a series of workshops over the course of the summer. I was already excited.

Kathy and committee chair Gail Hale (left) and Lotus staff member Deborah Klein (right) cut nylon panels

We started out in early summer, with the slightly less fun task of measuring and cutting seemingly endless panels rip-stop nylon. Soon after, however, that fabric was laid out for kid after sparkly-eyed little kid. Until that first decorating workshop I had ignored the warnings: children + glitter = chaos. I learned that lesson quickly. If the material is shiny, that is what kids want. And that is all they want. They scrambled for the glitter, plastic gems, and sequins. Anything that sparkled had to come out of our decoration trick bag last.

Working on Lotus banners at Girls Inc.

The “carpets” – our nylon banners – were transformed from blank canvases to unique collages every week. Slowly, with each group, we worked out the logistical hitches. (See “Keep sparkly stuff for last,” above.) After the first few workshops with kids, the clientele changed, and we were lucky enough to work with Stonebelt and Youth Services of Monroe County.

Over the summer, our workshop artists decorated more than 100 “magic carpets,” bit by shiny little bit. Then, we prepped them to hang in the labyrinth of the Visual Arts Village during the festival. I volunteered to help set up the village the Friday of the festival, and got to watch as my summer culminated into one beautiful city block of Bloomington. Of course, the magic carpets were only a part of the village, and the tiny houses, wind socks, and chalk drawings all added to its splendor.

A volunteer helps assemble nylon panels into the Community Labyrinth. Photo by Paula Grez.

I returned to the village the last night of the festival, saw it as it was being disassembled, and said goodbye to my summer with a heavy heart. I’ll always remember my summer: the wonderful people of Lotus, the beautiful community members at the organizations we visited, and the many lively children of Monroe County I was able to work with. My experience offered me a glimpse of Bloomington that, as a student, I would have never otherwise seen.

Kathy in the Arts Village. Photo by Pat Gluskho.

Kathy Varble grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. She has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in industrial design; after graduation, she moved west for a few years to Colorado and New Mexico, where the adventures were good but the work was less so. She joined the Peace Corps and went to Morocco for two years before returning to Indiana. She is working on her Masters in Public Affairs at IU.