FAR

Thursday October 1st
202 S Rogers
2:00 PM - Doors Open + Check In

2:30 PM - A Fireside Chat with Jon Kay and Dani Tippmann
An oral history and Traditional Arts Indiana Director Miami knowledge bearer and Indiana Heritage Fellow

4:00 PM - Keynote with Michael Orlove & Dr. John Fenn, III
A conversation with Michael Orlove (National Endowment for the Arts) and Dr. John Fenn III (American Folklife Center), moderated by James Combs about how Bloomington fits into a broader regional and national conversation about community arts programming.

5:00 PM - Lotus Festival Reception:Honoring & Remembering Lee Williams

More About the Symposium

You are invited to a series of conversations about the crucial role that the arts play in building our communities and identities. Together, we will consider how the arts help us make sense of the world around us, connect individual and collective experience, and understand the communities we share.

Conversations in Bloom is intended to be both a forum for shared reflection and a space for professional development. Interactive breakout sessions will discuss activating, celebrating, and preserving community culture through the arts, while also considering how personal, institutional, and communal histories are interwoven into the fabric of Bloomington’s cultural life.

September 30 – October 1, 2026
Two-day General Admission: $37 ($35 + processing fees)
Student Discount: $11 ($9 + processing fees)
Tickets and more info

Wednesday, 9/30/26
9:00 AM - 5:30PM at the I Fell Building 415 W 4th St
6:00 PM – Midnight at the Lotus Firebay 105 S Rogers

Thursday, 10/1/26
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the I Fell Building 415 W 4th St
2:30 PM - 6:30 PM at the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts 202 S Rogers