Filling Up on the Gift of Giving
The EC Art Club is supporting the fight against hunger—one bowl at a time.
On Wednesday, December 6, EC Art Club kicked off Endicott’s first Empty Bowls fundraiser. The club, designed for students interested in and passionate about art and art making, meets every two weeks and shares ideas and information related to all types of art. The Empty Bowls fundraiser was the perfect way to leverage their passion for art to give back to the community.
Art club member Collin Broere ’19, says, “The Art Club decided to bring this event to Endicott because we believed that this kind of project could have a huge impact on the EC community as a whole by providing support to local causes and inspiring more people to get involved within the community,”
Empty bowls is an international, grassroots movement that has raised millions of dollars to support the cause and was created to remind people of all the empty bowls there are in this world.
The idea behind an Empty Bowls event is simple. First, students, artists, educators, and craftspeople create and design handmade ceramic bowls. Guests are invited to hand pick and purchase these bowls, which come with a hot serving of soup. The bowl then becomes a souvenir and a reminder that people can give, even if only a small amount, and still have an impact in their communities.
The Endicott event was hosted in the atrium of the Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts and open to the public. Twenty dollars bought guests a handcrafted ceramic bowl, made by art club members, which was filled with a hot serving of soup. Guests filled themselves up with love, food, and the gift of giving.
Art Club Member, Kirstyn Breden ’19, says, “Not only are we giving back to our community, we are also providing people with some last-minute Christmas gifts that are homemade and from the heart!”
Kyungmin Park, who currently teaches ceramics courses, is also faculty advisor of the EC Art Club and assistant professor. She says that the launch of this event was a total team effort. “Some students were throwing bowls on the wheel, then some had to trim the bowls. Those students who don't know how to use the pottery wheel helped to glaze all the bowls and load and unload the kiln.” She explains, “This event couldn't have happened without everyone's hard work and dedication!”
Both students and faculty dedicated their time to creating the bowls in the name of this important cause. And it paid off because the event raised a total of $2055.
“Everyone loved the idea of giving back to our community. Art can make a difference,” says Park.
Breden agrees, “I believe that art is unique to making a difference because although we are making a difference through a donation, the art is creating happiness for others and they can then share that happiness.”
For Broere, he says that the event brought people together, “for something that feels right.” He says, “I believe that events such as this are vital to keeping the connection between the campus and its community strong.”
50% of the total proceeds from this event will be donated to The Greater Boston Food Bank and the rest of the proceeds will remain with EC Art Club to generate scholarships for students to participate in art workshops and classes and to invite professional artists to speak on Endicott’s campus.
Those interested in the EC Art Club are encouraged to attend their bi-weekly meetings on Mondays at 7:00p.m. in the ceramic room of the Center for the Arts building. For more information contact Kirstyn Breden at kbred115@mail.endicott.edu