For reasons I’m not sure of, I’ve been asked to create another work of "art" for the St. Vincent de Paul-sponsored Empty Bowl Project in Grand Forks this year. Again, I don’t know why.
The basic idea of the Empty Bowl Project is simple. Participants create ceramic bowls, then serve a simple meal of soup and bread. Guests choose a bowl to use that day and to keep as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in the world. In exchange for the meal and a bowl, the guest gives a suggested minimum donation of ten dollars. The proceeds are then used to fight hunger. In this case, they will be used locally in Grand Forks.
Last year Linda Troftbruben of Grand Forks spared me no small amount of embarrassment by bidding on the bowl I "painted" in an auction that was also held. God bless you, Linda. In a letter to me later, she even called my bowl (not pictured) "reminiscent of Edvard Munch’s The Scream." (Linda may be a little prone to hyperbole.)
The project is an excellent one. It makes everyone involved think about world hunger, at least for a little while.
This year’s Second Annual Empty Bowl Event is scheduled for November 13 at St. Michael’s Church in Grand Forks from 11 am until 7 pm. If you would like more information or if you would like to volunteer to help, you can call 795-8614.
Terry,
I think that’s Nov. 17th. I, too, am planning to paint a bowl, and recently interviewed JoAnn Brundin for a story in Red River Valley Women Today on the event.