SCC students, community encouraged to make bowls

Talk about it

After a two-year hiatus, the Empty Bowls fundraiser is back in the St. Croix Central School District.

The first ever St. Croix Central Empty Bowls event was held at the high school on Feb. 24, 2009. The event raised around $900, which was given to the Roberts Food Shelf.

Middle school art teacher Kim Knutson said though the first event was a success, the hiatus was due to a new art teacher entering the district.

“A new high school art teacher (Jordee Reimer) moved in and we didn’t think it was fair to throw such a large project on him,” she explained.

Now that Reimer’s accustomed to the district, Knutson said she and her fellow art teachers are ready to make this year’s Empty Bowls event even bigger than the first.

One new element to this year’s event is that the community is invited to participate in the bowl-making process, whereas only students and staff created bowls for the 2009 event.

Knutson said she was inspired to involve the community by an art organization in Grand Marais, Minn. that invites community members to make and glaze bowls.

“I thought what a great way to get the community involved,” she said. “So I pretty much stole their idea lock, stock and barrel.”

Knutson said the Empty Bowls event should be a community effort.

“This event is for the community and now it can be done with the community,” she said.

The community is invited to make bowls for the event in the middle school art room on Jan. 15, 22 and 29, between 1-4 p.m. A day to glaze the bowls will be scheduled in February.

Knutson said community members can drop-in without making an appointment, and no experience is necessary to participate.

There will be art teachers and hopefully some students on hand those Sundays to help individuals create bowls.

“We’ll show them how to do it. We’re providing the clay. The only thing that we ask is that the bowls be made with the idea to donate them to the Empty Bowls project,” she said.

Knutson believes the Empty Bowls project teaches students more than just a lesson on art.

“It helps them to be asked to give, rather than being on the receiving end all the time. It makes them more socially aware and that’s a very good thing,” she said. “Sometimes I think they feel a little powerless because they don’t know where to go to help. This is one way they can help.”

Main event

A meal and the finished bowls will be for sale at the Empty Bowls event in the high school cafeteria on Monday, Feb. 20, 5:30-7 p.m.

“We do that very consciously because it is before Fat Tuesday,” Knutson said. “What better time to be thinking about people not having enough to eat?”

Donations of $5 or more per bowl and supper is requested, Knutson said.

There will be bowls created by professional artists as well as a few “celebrity” (SCC administration) bowls that will be auctioned off by SCC’s Superintendent, turned auctioneer, David Bradley.

Knutson hopes there will be around 500 bowls for sale at this year’s event.

While the project has gathered clay from in-school donations, Knutson is hoping local artists will also donate clay for the community project.

Tags: st croix central, arts and entertainment, communities, education, hammond, roberts, arts