Photo courtesy of Grand Marais Art Colony Holly Johnson Beaster surveys hand-made bowls for Empty Bowls, an annual fundraiser for the local food shelf, happening on Thursday, November 12 from 5-7 p.m. at the Congregational Church. Interested in creating a bowl for the event? There are many opportunities to do so; contact the Art Colony at (218) 387-2737 for more information.
Empty Bowls has become a popular annual fundraising event that supports the local food shelf. Now in its fifth year, the 2009 event, hosted by the Grand Marais Art Colony, will be at the First Congregational Church from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. It will feature soups and breads from local restaurants and lots and lots of community made bowls to eat out of.
For $10, individuals can pick out their favorite bowl and enjoy delicious soup and bread with their neighbors and friends, while supporting the local food shelf. Proceeds from the event will be donated directly to the Food Shelf. Last year, Empty Bowls raised more than $2,000 for the organization.
There will also be a week-long silent auction leading up to the event, where bidders can choose from a variety of unique bowls made by regional artists. These bowls will be original work, donated by artists, and will include a variety of media including fiber, paper, and of course clay.
Empty Bowls was originally started in Michigan by an art teacher who wanted his students to be involved in a project that would make a difference. Today, Empty Bowls has become an international project to fight hunger, and fundraising events are held all over the U.S. and Canada.
Here in Cook County, students in every school district will be making bowls this fall to donate to the event, as they learn about the critical problem of hunger in our community. Participating schools include Birch Grove Community School, ISD 166, Great Expectations and Oshki Ogimaag.
“This is a great opportunity for community members to work together to bring awareness to an important issue that affects our county,” said Amy Demmer, administrator of the Grand Marais Art Colony. The Art Colony is opening the ceramic studios to the public next month so that they can come in and make bowls for the event.
The Open Studios will be Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 5-8 p.m., Oct. 16 from 5-9 p.m., and Oct. 17 from 2-5 p.m. There will be potters there to help.
For those who might not want to get their hands dirty and love to paint, the Art Colony will hold a “Paint-A-Bowl” event in the open studio from 2-5 p.m. on Oct. 24. A $5 donation is requested to help pay for supplies for all Open Studios.
New this year, the Art Colony is also organizing Business Bowls, where your business can schedule a time to use the ceramics studio (with potters to help) to make some bowls for the event.
For more information about Empty Bowls, to register for an open studio, or to set up a time for Business Bowls, call the Art Colony at 387-2737.
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