BRATTLEBORO — After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brattleboro Clayworks Bowlerama will return on Saturday, Aug. 7. Last year was the first year in 18 seasons that Clayworks was unable to host this popular event.
The Bowlerama is a free opportunity for those who have had little or no experience in clay to create a bowl to donate to the Empty Bowls dinner, held each Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend at Landmark College as a fundraiser for Groundworks Collaborative.
Bonnie Stearns, Alan Steinberg, and Judith Thomas will be available to help bowl makers get started, to provide basic instruction, and to troubleshoot if assistance is needed.
Event organizers invite participants to “dig your hands into the clay to pinch, make coils, or roll out slabs into bowls, and decorate your creations with stamps and other textured objects.”
Space at the Bowlerama is limited to 15 participants in each of two sessions - 10 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - so call Brattleboro Clayworks at 802-254-9174 to reserve a space. Children ages 10 and older are welcome, accompanied by an adult.
Clayworks is donating instruction, clay, glaze, and firing costs. While the event is free, financial donations to Groundworks are welcome.
This year's Empty Bowls dinner will be held at Landmark College on Saturday, Oct. 9. Potters contribute bowls, local eateries donate home-cooked soup, bread, and cheese, and musicians share their talents.
For a $25 donation, participants will enjoy a meal in a handcrafted bowl they take home afterward, as well as live music.
Groundworks operates the region's largest and busiest food shelf, a 30-bed shelter for families and individuals, and its Seasonal Overflow Shelter and Day Shelter. It offers housing case management, and a Representative Payee service for clients participating in the Social Security Administration program.