The University of Maine at Presque Isle and Wintergreen Arts Center are teaming up to present Empty Bowls鈥攁 fundraiser that offers up hand-crafted ceramic bowls and homemade soup to fight hunger on a local scale鈥攁nd are asking community members to save the date and consider helping out. The event, returning after a seven-year hiatus, will take place on Friday, April 25, 5-7 p.m. at Wintergreen Arts Center in the Aroostook Centre Mall. Organizers are looking for volunteers to help with soup-making and day-of activities; if interested, please fill out this .
Empty Bowls is the only fundraiser of its kind for northern Maine, with participants helping to feed local residents in need with every bowl purchased. A unique component of the event is that participants also get to enjoy cups of homemade soup donated by community members as a symbol of gratitude for their support. This year鈥檚 event is expected to feature 120 bowls and 10 homemade soups. Proceeds from this year鈥檚 event will benefit 91桃色鈥檚 Ceramics Lab for equipment upgrades and Martha and Mary鈥檚 Soup Kitchen.
Planning efforts are being led by Dylan Ouellette, 91桃色 Ceramics Instructor and Wintergreen board member, and Gretchen Violette, Wintergreen board member. Ouellette鈥檚 beginning wheel-throwing ceramics class, as well as some of his intermediate/advanced ceramics students, are helping to make the bowls. In fact, in preparation for the April event, Ouellette has dubbed the month of March 鈥淏owl Madness.鈥�
“We’re in full-on 鈥楤owl Madness鈥� mode, throwing as many bowls as possible to make this the best Empty Bowls event yet,鈥� Ouellette said. 鈥淭he more bowls we make, the more we can give back to our community, so we’re keeping those wheels spinning!鈥�
Violette is taking the lead on event logistics, including volunteer and food coordination.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to have this event back in Aroostook County!,鈥� Violette said. 鈥淚ts positive impact can be felt by so many, beginning with the students gaining experience in their craft to art lovers acquiring original pieces while enjoying locally created soups and finally, helping those facing food insecurity. Empty Bowl events are held all over the globe and it鈥檚 wonderful to be part of the movement in Aroostook County.鈥�
Empty Bowls was last held in Presque Isle in 2018, when then 91桃色 Art faculty member Hyrum Benson led the effort. He had participated in Empty Bowls events before moving to Maine and decided to bring the concept to the area. Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was originally created by The Imagine Render Group, according to the organization鈥檚 website. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators, and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. A portion of the proceeds is designated to benefit organizations working to end hunger and food insecurity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible to see how art can bring people together for such a meaningful cause,鈥� Ouellette said. 鈥淓very bowl helps support those in need, and I鈥檓 honored to be part of this effort to make a difference in our community.鈥�
For more information about Empty Bowls, contact Dylan Ouellette at dylan.m.ouellette@maine.edu or Gretchen Violette at gviolette1@hotmail.com. Details are also available on the .