BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro community is once again invited to come help make bowls to support the Brattleboro Drop In Center. The Brattleboro Clayworks is hosting a Bowlerama on Saturday, June 9, as part of its preparations for the ninth annual Empty Bowls Dinner, a benefit for the Center.
Bowlerama offers an opportunity for those who have little or no experience in clay to create a bowl to donate to the dinner. Bonnie Stearns, Alan Steinberg, and Annie Lauterbach will be available to help bowl-makers get started and provide basic instruction, if needed.
Participants can dig hands into the clay to pinch, make coils or roll out slabs into bowls. Fun texturing objects will be available to decorate bowls. Because of their expressive uniqueness, hand built bowls are often the first to be chosen at the Empty Bowls Dinner.
Space is limited, so Clayworks asks interested parties to sign up in advance for the morning or afternoon session: 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Call 802-254-9174 to register. Children ages 10 and over are welcome, accompanied by an adult. Clayworks is donating instruction, clay, glaze, and firing costs. There is no charge to participate; however, financial donations are welcome.
This year the Drop In Center has suffered severe budget cuts on the state and federal level, even as the need has increased significantly because of the challenges of the current economy. The Empty Bowls Dinner, now in its ninth year, helps raise funds and awareness to alleviate hunger and homelessness.
The Empty Bowls dinner is a collaborative event. Local potters contribute bowls, local eateries contribute their home cooked food, and musicians contribute their talents. For a $25 donation, participants will enjoy live music and a meal in a handcrafted bowl they take home afterward.
All proceeds go to Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, a day and - in the winter - an overnight shelter, offering a community food shelf and support services.
The 2012 Empty Bowls Dinner will take place on Saturday Oct. 6 (Columbus Day Weekend), at Landmark College in Putney. See Empty Bowls Southern Vermont on Facebook and www.brattleboroclayworks.com/events.html for more details.