Entering its 23rd year, one of Empty Bowls’ founders, Chris Stanley, says the event involved even more school children this year than ever before.
The occasion is a fundraiser for the West Texas Food Bank. It is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Allison Fine Arts Center at Midland College, 3600 N. Garfield St., Midland. The cost is $15 and Stanley said that $15 can feed 65 people.
Artists’ bowls also will be auctioned off.
Joining in the ceramic bowl creation this year are students from the 18-plus Transition Learning Center, Bowie Middle School, Crockett Middle School, Odessa and Midland colleges and University of Texas Permian Basin, said Stanley, who is also associate professor of art at UTPB.
“Yet again, when you think you’ve tapped out people who might be interested in this project, there’s more participants that show up and so it’s always life-affirming to see the kind of commitment that our community has to the project,” Stanley said.
If everything goes to plan, Stanley said the event will be held at Odessa College next year and UTPB for the 25th anniversary. UTPB is where it started.
Asked if it might be held at the Horseshoe for the 25th year, Stanley said they have been blessed by working with people who want to help them with venues.
“If it got to the point where we had that kind of capacity, to have it at a place like that, I think it would be wonderful,” Stanley said.
For Stanley it was never about how many people attend or how much money is raised.
“It’s about the experience. It’s about gathering people together, understanding that your community can lift itself up. When community members realize they can feed the poor by just having a bowl of soup that’s kind of a win-win for everyone. That’s where the spirit is,” Stanley said.
He added that they are seeing the next generation of instructors, teachers and former students coming on.
“What a sign of just absolute humility that your students would carry on your passion; that that passion has become their passion, too,” Stanley said.
He added that they have already started making bowls for 2024 and are up to 100 of the 300 bowl target.
