Lotus Education & Arts Foundation
The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Bloomington, Indiana (est. 1994).
Lotus Education & Arts Foundation Mission
We enact this mission in many ways. The Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is our most well-known initiative, but we offer a robust spring program called Lotus Blossoms as well. We also manage the Lotus Firebay, our community space for workshops, performances, and gatherings.
Find out more about our areas of impact by clicking below.
Communities we engage:
A cornerstone of Lotus programming is a focus on engagement with under-served urban and rural communities. By presenting global music and arts experiences, Lotus strives to inspire a love of diversity in these communities.
Lotus Blossoms also serves populations that have limited opportunities to engage with in-person musical experiences, including those in retirement homes, preschools, detention centers, or economically disadvantaged communities.
Lotus through time.
By choosing the name “Lotus” for the Festival, the founders wished to equally honor our local heritage as well as the international scope of the musicians who come to perform. We are proud to celebrate Indiana musician Quinten “Lotus” Dickey as a partial namesake for our Festival, alongside the Lotus flower which has deep meaning in many cultures and religions and blooms all over the world — including right here in Indiana.
A gifted folk singer, songwriter, and musician from rural Orange County, Lotus Dickey (1911-1989) wrote beautiful songs that still speak to people from all walks of life.
Each year, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival honors both Lotus inspirations: our logo evokes the flower, and we honor Lotus Dickey’s memory with a set of music, an interactive workshop, or a designated “Lotus Dickey Artist” that introduces new audiences to his music and the old-time traditions of the United States.
The Lotus Team
Staff
Katarina Koch
Executive Director
Tamara Loewenthal
Artistic Director
Jill Campbell
Community & Arts Engagement Director
Kathleen Clark-Perez
Communications & Marketing Specialist
Board of Directors
Andy Qualls, Vice Chair
Erica Penna, Secretary
Sheridan Arnold
Dave Debikey
Amanda Franklin
Kathleen Hugo
Katja Miller
Dan Mounlio
Genevieve Pritchard
Daniel Reed
Jennifer Riley Simone
Zac Simpkins
Annie Bartlett Stowers
Katarina Koch, Ex Officio
Advisory Board
Scott Burgins
Jane Clay
Doug Eibling
Bob Flynn
Candice Foss
Kim Gray
Brandi Host
Deb Hutton
Jim Krause
Jillian Kinzie
Laura Plummer
Bridget Rinehimer
Michael Shermis
Impact Reports
Over the last 25 years, Lotus has hosted nearly 575 artists or ensembles from 120+ different countries or culturally distinct regions. The Festival regularly attracts an unusually multi-generational audience, participation from local and regional ethnic/cultural communities, and a significant out-of-town population from across the state and across the country. Estimates in partnership with our local Visitors Bureau calculate that Bloomington enjoys an annual economic impact of ~$500,000 on each Festival weekend.