2016 Festival Artwork Revealed
Every year, Lotus selects two local artists to bring their creative visions to the Festival experience and create the artwork that will grace t-shirts, posters, and more. Watch for these 2016 designs to make their way into the Lotus landscape over the coming months!
Joe Lee: 2016 Festival T-Shirt and Pin
Renowned cartoonist Joe Lee used Bloomington’s iconic weather-vane fish to inspire a glimpse of Lotus revelry from a very unique point of view. Joe’s art is equally iconic in these parts: he contributes the Saturday editorial cartoon for the Bloomington Herald-Times and is staff illustrator for Our Brown County magazine. An IU alum as well as a graduate of Ringling Bros. Clown College, Joe’s drawing talents are complemented by an active clowning career that includes Ringling’s Circus World theme park, King Bros-Cole and Hoxie Bros Circuses, and even some dates with the Big Apple Circus as a fire-eater. He still performs with his “Cirque du Jolais”, and his “Jungle Joe’s Flea Circus” has been a 20-year mainstay of the Lotus Blossoms World Bazaar. Joe is a prolific writer and illustrator, including over a dozen titles in the ongoing For Beginners series; his most recent publication is The LeGrande Circus and Sideshow Tarot for U.S. Games.
Sam Bartlett: 2016 Volunteer T-Shirt
Artist Sam Bartlett went with a whimsical take on the multi-talented folks behind the scenes who are ready for anything! Sam is the author and illustrator of the widely selling book, The Best of Stuntology (Workman 2008), as well as the chief drawer and designer for Great Dog Productions. In addition to the popular 2009 Lotus Festival tee, Sam’s unmistakable work can be seen all around Bloomington, most notably in the form of the 240-foot community mural project in Building and Trades Park.
