Empty Bowls is a long-standing tradition at New Buffalo Area Schools that I have been invited to participate in the last couple years as the Middle and High School Art teacher. As I shifted the main focus away from a classroom unit to an after school club and invited the public in for pottery workshops, I have seen the volunteerism of people coming together to support their community.
The fact that the Empty Bowls directly impacts New Buffalo families makes this event all the more special. All proceeds from Empty Bowls are donated to Blessings in a Backpack at New Buffalo Elementary School which helps provide food over the weekends for students in need.
Empty Bowls is a team effort that would not be possible without the support of NBAS administration, Food Services, Maintenance Operations, Student Senate, the Foods & Nutrition Class, and the NB community and staff members' soup donations!
The ceramic bowls this year were made by the NBHS Pottery Club, 6th Grade Art classes, and participants from the Community Pottery Workshop. We had a tremendous turn-out from the community at Empty Bowls night!
Pottery Club held their donation night for Empty Bowls at the "Pottery Madness" Parent Open House in the fall. Pottery Madness was open to ALL high school students for the first two hours to drop in and hand-build a bowl while the active members of Pottery Club reserved wheels to throw bowls.
"Pottery Madness" Donation Night for Empty Bowls!
Families joined us later that evening to participate in the bowl making as we competed in skill-building challenges and played games while keeping the wheels turning out bowls into the night.
We were excited to be able to host PBS Michiana at the event that featured Pottery Club for WNIT's Education Counts series.
Find out more about our "Pottery Madness" donation night at the PBS link here: New Buffalo High School Pottery Club: PBS Education Counts
Many hands were involved in the making of these bowls!
Community Pottery Workshop:
Since we received such positive feedback from the workshops last year, the NB Art Dept. once again opened its classroom doors to the community. Names were drawn by lottery for three workshops held in December.
The New Buffalo Elementary Art Teacher, Erin Ledyard, volunteered to be an instructor with me alongside Pottery Club's TA, Giada Pawlowski, a 12th Grade NBHS student.
Workshop participants learned the basics of wheel throwing and each donated a bowl to the Empty Bowls fundraiser!
6th Grade Artists:
In addition to the efforts made by the Pottery Club and community workshops, the 6th Grade Art classes of 1st and 2nd Trimester were participants in Empty Bowls this year. Learning how to hand-build a pinch pot and monitoring it through the stages of clay is one of the fundamental units that are taught in the 6th Grade curriculum.
Starting with a ball of clay, students learned how to pinch the clay with their fingers and gradually increase pressure on the walls to form a small bowl that is just big enough for a scoop of ice cream!
Each student created two bowls in art class, keeping one for themselves that they took home and then donating the other bowl to support the Empty Bowls community fundraiser.
The 2nd Trimester students wrote cards to personally invite their teachers. They were excited to be involved in the community project and recognized for their efforts.
We are grateful to the New Buffalo community for the love and support of this amazing cause.
Thank you to everyone who came out to support Empty Bowls!
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