Empty Bowls

   

Empty Bowls Project 

It's not as difficult as it sounds.  But takes some planning.

     WOW!  It has been a while since my last post.  I have been super busy.  People keep asking me how I did Empty Bowls... the logistics of it all.  So here is the past, failures and tips.

2013 Empty Bowls Promo Video

Past:  Ceramics Club began doing Empty Bowls in 2008.  I had a Club president that was a go-getter.  He would come with a typed agenda and copies for everyone.  This kid pushed me to be better. (It is amazing when we have one of those kids.)  We began by doing it at our school; one evening a year.  Then our district began to do district art shows.  This was a natural transition as I was trying to get the other three high schools involved in Empty Bowls as well.  For several years it became the tradition to do Empty Bowls at the District Art Show.  The last year of the district show (we no longer have district art shows) happened to be a year that my club kids were really non- committal and Art Show day was my moving day.  (Alas after 10 years of teaching we bought a house!!!) So I didn't do it.  Sometimes you just can't care more than the kids.  The year after that was another year of uncommitted kids and our override failed so I was going back to school becoming Adobe Photoshop Certified in case I needed to talk an alternate path.

Things that work:

1. Get your kids to understand the importance.  I had someone form St. Mary's Food Bank some talk about food insecurity with my Club kids.  That gave them purpose for the activity. Last I checked that program no longer exists where a speaker will come in and teach about food insecurity.  Now I do a mini lesson.  One activity I do is number the kids 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4..... all the 4's stand.  This is the average number of kids in each class that does not get enough to eat in each day.  I explain that hunger is a silent poverty.  You can't judge a persons skin, hair, clothes, shoes, grades... to know if they are hungry or not.  Hunger does not discriminate.  There can be a number of reasons why a kid doesn't get enough to eat each day...  this is a lively conversation because kids hold so many false ideas. (Be prepared to handle many stereotypes and false ideas respectfully.)

2.  If your kids cannot wheel throw (or you don't have wheels), use plaster hump molds to make bowls.  There are many cool ways to make bowls.

3. Start working on bowls way ahead of time.  Like WAYYYYY... it will take so much longer than you think.  Get a production line going.

4.  Cereal Bars ( similar to a salad bar is my preference) Students can bring in a variety of cereals, canned fruit... for toppings.  I keep a box with plastic serving bowls and spoons, paper towels, for the day of the event.  Some events love to do soups or pasta.  I did soup one year.  Due to all of our regulations I had to get the cafeteria manager to volunteer to heat the soup, then we had to find something to keep it warm.  We had to keep an eye on the temperature... on top of the people serving all had to have food handlers cards.  Afterwards there was a ton of soup left.  A ton.    While the soup was delicious it is harder and harder to get restaurants to donate.  The pick up is generally when I am teaching, refrigeration is key and maintaining proper temperature is huge.  With cereal; life is so much easier. If there are boxes left- donate them to the food bank.  In New York there are several poshy cereal places... like the Ramen trend.  It also beacons to the fact the sometime when money is tight dinner is a bowl of cereal as it is cheep an generally fortified.  Milk can be kept in a cooler with ice.  Please remember there is no one way...  You can do it anyway you want.  Cereal works best for me right now where I am.  I have been to them where pasta is served.  I have been to them at fancy restaurants where they don't even serve out of the bowl you pick.  They place a small soup cup in the bowl you picked but the soup doesn't actually touch the bowl you choose.  They bowls my kids make are sometime shallow or sculptural... so I also have some paper bowls  on hand if patrons would prefer to eat out of those.  Find the way that works best for you where you are right now and don't be afraid of change.

5. Advertise:  Make fliers to hang around the school.  Treat it like a campaign.  They do not need to be warm and fuzzy.  When I began this it was 1 out of every 5 kids did not get enough to eat a day.  Now it is 1 in 4.    "No bowl should go Empty".  It's all about the PROPAGANDA.

6. Turn it into a tradition.  My club kids looked forward every year to designing the Empty Bowls Shirts.  We would get them printed up.  ( Or your club could silk screen them themselves!) And give them to people that volunteered at the event.  Kids in Student Council, Key Club and ROTC loved to help out.

7.  Involve the Campus and Community.  We would make a ton a bowls.  And then invite clubs to come in and glaze the bowls.  If kids wanted to reserve the bowls they could.  ( Underglaze pencils work awesome for writing a tracking number on the bottom of the reserved bowls.  You can also have a form that you put the number on as well.  The form might include the person's name, phone number, e-mail... I would e-mail everyone that reserved a bowl to remind them about the event and to come pick up the bowl after firing.)  We also had a day care on campus.  I would send bowls and glaze ( Mayco Stroke and Coat is excellent for this... bright colors stable at 06 to 5...) along with a letter to parents describing what we were doing.  If the parents wanted to purchase the bowl they could.  ( We sold several bowls before the event this way.)  Invite other teachers to come in and glaze or to make a bowl.  I cannot tell you how much the other teachers think Ceramics is "play" time.  Pairing them up with a club kid put the kid in a leadership role and opened the staff member's eyes to the art.  Host parent workshops on the weekend.  This is awesome community building with your parents.  If you use slump molds and under glaze this activity is most successful. Also pre- roll out slabs the day before.  And these parents often end up volunteering for you later on.

8. Let the Food Bank you plan to donate know you are doing this.  Often they will send a representative with a banner to hang and other information.  Things that as a teacher you might not know the answer for.

9.  Know your district's money collection policy.  Every few years ours changes.  I have to keep up to date.  And stay flexible and creative.  We used to be able to deposit money into our club account and then write a check... 12 years ago.  Then we could not.... I would ask a Food Bank Representative to collect money at this point.  The whole "ask forgiveness later" motto is stupid in this case.  You do not want to have any shadow cast over your reputation when you are trying to teach kids how to use art to advocate for solutions in their community.  I handle money as little as possible. I do not get paid to host a club and I am certainly not going to risk my job.  So for that reason know all your districts rules.  Each district is different.  Go to your principal for problem solving and support.

10.  Have a variety of bowls.  They should look different.... be exciting and fun.

11.  Empower your kids.  Have them do research... Have them make signs, iMovie advertisements.... whatever.  Have them research how this all started.  (I believe it was started by a high school in Michigan.)

12.  Here is how I run the night...  After a location is determined, food is collected, advertised....  Set out tables of bowls... We sell for $10 each.  Patrons can look and choose a bowl.  Then they pay for their bowl.  ( I avoid taking money if at all possible- parent volunteers or Food Bank Representatives will take $)  Then the kids sanitize the bowls.  We have three plastic bins of hot water. One is soapy (dawn dish soap is the best) and two are just water.  We do a soapy scrub and two water rises.  Then the bowl is dried with paper towels.  The patron is given the bowl and may choose cereal and toppings.  We generally have 5-8 types of cereal and 10 toppings.  To finish a student will offer milk and a spoon.  I adapted this model from the AZ Clay Association which will host an even every October at the Arizona Center.  When field trips were easier to do, I'd take my kids there first to see what an Empty Bowls even was like before hosting our own.  Mesa Community College also hosts a pretty big one.

13. Take the next day to relax.  Your body will be sore.  If it is a work day... well I go to work... but don't plan this for the day before grades are due... or the day you are supposed to be moving or anything like that.  Start small.  Have fun.  Make sure your glazes are food safe.  Don't do all the work, if you do the kids don't learn.