I walked up the wide stairway then down a long hallway looking for the right room number. I heard my destination before arriving. Laughter spilled out of an open doorway of the ceramics studio at Central Florida Community College in Ocala . Yep, exactly where I needed to be.
It was the last day of the Empty Bowls project. I’d had to cancel a studio date earlier but now my turn had come to pull up a stool, play and help social change – namely fighting hunger by feeding the hungry in our local area. How cool is that? I stepped inside.
A greenware bowl
Bowls already fired, called greenware, were on the long tables along with brushes and foam trays for colors – acrylic paints that have to be applied in three coats to come out bright after firing.
Empty Bowls project helps feed the hungry
Jillian Daniel Ramsammy, CFCC’s Hampton Center Director and guru for this project suggested doing the outside first.
“Have you got a design in mind?” She asked.
“Sortof, yes.” I nodded. “Blue green sea colors then paint fish over that.”
“Good, here, look at the color chart, let’s pick out some blues and greens.”
The colors leap off the chart, vivid hues far different from what comes out of the bottle – a thick matte paste with a muted color. It takes imagination to see the finished bowl. I wander over to a table covered with fired bowls – bright colors, beautiful designs.
A finished bowl in the CFCC ceramics studio
The Empty Bowl project has had three months of bowl-making sessions. At the end of this last day over 500 bowls will have been painted.
I’m surrounded by fun and laughter in the ceramics studio. At the table next to me several CFCC teachers are painting bowls and enjoyed doing something totally different from their daily routine.
CFCC faculty painting empty bowls
In walks a CFCC student, a little breathless as she ran up the stairs. Sitting across from me, she quickly works on a bowl, doing the background then lettering words in a clear, sure handwriting.
I comment on her lovely script, so straight and perfectly formed. My attempts at making fish outlines fizzled with wavy lines and indistinct shapes. The fantasy and reality didn’t quite match.
“My hand better be sure, I want to be a surgeon,” she says smiling. Jillian walks by, looks at her sure handwriting and says “I’d let you operate on me.” We all laugh.
I didn’t get her name but here is her story – she goes to CFCC Monday through Friday, on weekends she works 32 hours at the hospital so she can pay for her car to get her to classes and it pays the rent. Oh yes, she also has small children. Whew. I felt like I’d run a half marathon just listening to her schedule. With all that, and she found time to paint bowls for a good cause.
The Empty Bowls Web site says: “The basic idea for Empty Bowls 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 a meal and the bowl, the guest gives a suggested minimum donation of ten dollars. The meal sponsors and /or guests choose a hunger-fighting organization to receive the money collected.”
On March 3, at CFCC from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Patriot Café, Bryant Student Union, you can enjoy soup and bread and pick out a bowl to keep as a reminder of the empty bowls in the world. Minimum $10 donation required. Call (352) 873-5881 for tickets in advance. Proceeds benefit Interfaith Emergency Services, Citrus United Basket and Tri-County Outreach.
Empty bowls project – paint a bowl, help the hungry
But one little catch developed – almost everyone who painted a bowl, including me, said they’d like to get heir own bowl. Jillian’s advice to potters – come early.
Ceramics carries a bit of mystery. I left my painted bowl – it looks dull. But like a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly, a bowl transformation will take place. The bowl cures for a few days. Then Jillian and helpers put on a clear finish. Next it is into the kiln for firing and what comes out – a bright vivid bowl, made with love for a good cause. I can hardly wait to see the results.
There may be an Empty Bowl event near you, check here for state listings. Or organize your own event.Yes, you can change the world one bowl at a time.
I arrived feeling rushed and uncertain – would this take long? Would it be hard to do? Would I be done in time for the next thing on the schedule? I left smiling, happy and wondering what’s the hurry? Slow down and enjoy the moment. Paint a bowl. Fight world hunger. I’d do it again anytime.
Update: in 2015, Empty Bowls celebrates 25 years of its grassroots movement to end hunger. Visit their Web site. Type in your state. Find events year you.
©2009 Lucy Beebe Tobias. All rights reserved.
Lucy Beebe Tobias is the author of “50 Great Walks in Florida” and the Authentic Florida Expert for VISIT FLORIDA. She lives in Ocala, Florida with two dogs and three cats at last count.
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