From First Date to Festival Art
The featured art for our 21st Festival is the work of a Washington, DC–based design firm with origins in Bloomington, and Lotus. Mike Englert and Ambica Prakash are the founding partners of Eighty2degrees, a socially responsible design firm whose client list includes the United Nations Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and National Geographic Kids.
It might be safe to say that Eighty2degrees exists thanks to Lotus. In 2004, when Mike was a candidate for Monroe County Commissioner and Ambica was a design student in IU’s Master of Fine Arts program, he asked her out for a date – to the Festival. “It was one of our first big dates,” recalls Mike. “What better way to fall in love than being surrounded by like-minded music fanatics who were all having a great time together in the streets of Bloomington on a beautiful fall evening?”
Since that date, the two haven’t missed a Festival, even though they have since relocated to Washington. Ambica and Mike even scheduled their wedding to coincide with Lotus weekend, to let friends and family experience the event that brought them together. “We’re delighted to be involved with this year’s T-shirt design,” says Ambica.
“We couldn’t be happier with their design concept,” says Lotus Executive Director Sunni Fass. “The influences from Indian art and the intricate line details . . . it’s unlike anything we’ve done before, and it’s so suggestive of the richness and uniqueness of every Lotus.”
Look for this year’s T-shirt at the Festival Store on Friday and Saturday and at Lotus in the Park, and at the Lotus Thursday Kick-Off and the World Spirit Concert on Sunday. And be sure to get your 2014 Lotus Pin – also designed by Eighty2degrees. At just $5, it helps support the free programming we offer to the public, and it’s your ticket to the Sunday concert!
