Project Jumpstart’s theme for September is “Expanding Your Horizons” – and, naturally, our Entrepreneur of the Month is the amazing Sunni Fass, Executive Director at the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, which produces the upcoming Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.
Sunni has led Lotus for the last 5 years, but her experience with the organization dates back to her graduate-school days here at IU Bloomington, where she earned her PhD in Ethnomusicology in 2006. In between, she also served as Curator and Artistic Director at the new Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, and as Executive Director at Pentangle Arts Council in Woodstock, Vermont. She has been working professionally in the arts for nearly 20 years, including extensive experience in arts presenting, museums, and the non-profit arena.
Project Jumpstart caught up with Sunni recently to discuss her life in the arts, and advice for emerging professionals, teachers, and ensembles.
THE INTERVIEW
PJ: What first sparked your interest in the Lotus Festival? Did you ever think you would be an executive director of such an amazing foundation?
SF: I actually first heard about Lotus in 2001, shortly before I came to IUB for graduate school in Ethnomusicology. At the time, I was working in Washington DC for the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA); when one of my colleagues there learned that I was headed to Bloomington, she raved about the Lotus Festival and how incredible it was. So I signed up to be a Lotus volunteer within a few weeks of moving to town, and I’ve been involved in some way ever since – as a volunteer, an intern, a donor, and even as a scholar. My doctoral dissertation used the Festival as its primary case study, so you could say that I have a Ph.D. in Lotus.
But no, when I left Bloomington after grad school, I didn’t think it would ever be in the cards for me to come back to Lotus as its Executive Director. I moved all over the country running different arts organizations, institutions, and events – Lotus was definitely part of what shaped my perspective and it stayed in my mind as such a well-run organization and a great model. So when I learned that the founder was planning to step back and transition the leadership (he called me – it pays to stay in touch with colleagues throughout your career!), it was a pleasant surprise to have this opportunity.
PJ: How were you first involved in the arts? Has your relationship with music changed as your career advanced?
SF: I was one of those kids who was always involved in music, learning several instruments at an early age and playing in every ensemble I could find throughout middle and high school. When I went to college, I had the transformative experience of meeting a professor who was an ethnomusicologist – it was my first inkling that I could engage with music in ways that went beyond performing, and it also opened my eyes to music from other countries and cultures. I did keep playing, but now I was joining a Middle Eastern music ensemble in addition to my hours in the piano practice room; I even had the chance to plan and conduct an independent ethnomusicology research project in Madagascar. Quite literally, this new world had opened up for me and for the way I viewed the arts and music.
Fast-forward – after I graduated and did a stint in the Peace Corps; I still felt this tug towards music but wasn’t sure where I wanted it to go. When I connected with the NCTA, I discovered yet another way to engage – they produced festivals and live music events, and I was hooked. The pieces all came together for me, and every job since then has sort of riffed on that theme of arts presenting, event production, and the non-profit arts world. My relationship with music has definitely changed from that of a practitioner to that of a curator and presenter – I realized what I love the most is being a facilitator and a connector, creating spaces where people can have amazing musical experiences and encounters, especially cross-culturally. But my teenaged and 20-something selves would never have guessed that I’d end up doing this kind of work; it’s been a series of really interesting twists and turns and I’ve learned a lot along the way.
PJ: What do you think is one of the most difficult parts of being the executive director of such a popular and influential program?
SF: First, it can be challenging to innovate – and bring people along with you – when there’s a quarter-century of precedent dictating what people expect the organization to be doing. How do you attract new audiences without alienating the ones who have been with you for 25 years? How do you try new things without drawing resources away from something that’s already in place? Are you willing to change a beloved piece of the puzzle if it’s just not working in the larger picture? In a previous job with a program that had been around even longer than Lotus, we used to refer to it as “turning the Titanic” – it doesn’t happen on a dime, and there can be a lot of icebergs.
Another big challenge is working in a “fishbowl.” A program like Lotus is very visible in the community and has a lot of stakeholders, including donors and sponsors whose dollars make the mission possible. In this case, our work is very public and everyone has an opinion! This can be really useful for generating new ideas or for gathering valuable feedback, and it’s fantastic to be part of a community that’s so invested. But it can also create some tough situations. Sometimes you have to have a thick skin, and sometimes you have to be able to tune it out and trust your own voice and vision.
PJ: What is one of your most inspiring memories from the festival?
SF: There are too many to count! One of my favorite things is watching our Festival artists meet each other and form new creative relationships. It’s not just audiences who are encountering new sounds at Lotus – most of our artists rarely have the chance to be around so many other musicians playing so many different kinds of music, either. So they meet up backstage or in hospitality areas, or they go to each other’s performance sets, or they jam in the hotel… they’re so excited to discover what other musicians are doing, and these relationships end up lasting well beyond the Festival.
PJ: What advice do you have for emerging professionals and teachers?
SF: Your classes are important, but it’s also essential to be out there getting hands-on experience. Volunteer, intern, network, and find mentors – all of it. Not only will you learn a ton, but you’ll also create relationships that will help you throughout the rest of your career. You can learn so much by diving in, asking tons of questions, trying to figure out what to do when things go wrong. Speaking personally, those experiences are where I’ve learned the most – and the most useful-on-a-daily-basis things – as I’ve progressed in my career. And lastly, stay in touch with the people you meet along the way!
PJ: Further, what advice would you give to an upcoming ensemble seeking to appeal to audiences around the globe?
SF: There’s no formula for what’s going to appeal to an audience musically. It’s important to know you are very talented, creative, and going to create incredibly inspiring creative work out in the world. As someone who evaluates artists as a major part of my job, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to invest the time in creating a solid suite of promotional materials (including good video of your live performances) and in making it easy for me to get excited about you. If people like me aren’t convinced to spend my time and money putting you on a stage, then very few people are going to hear how talented and creative you are. Your materials don’t have to be expensive or super-slick, but they do have to communicate clearly and quickly who you are as an artist and why what you’re doing is unique, special, and worth my (and my audience’s) time. Presenters like me receive hundreds and hundreds of submissions and proposals every year, and there are a lot of very talented people out there just like you. If I’m not engaged within the first minute or two – or if I can’t figure out what you’re all about, or if I can’t find the info I need – then I’m going to move on. Market yourself, and find a compelling story to tell; it’s just as important as being musically proficient.
Project Jumpstart partners with the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the IU Kelley School of Business.
Leave a Reply