BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro community is once again invited to come and help make bowls to support the Brattleboro Drop In Center.
As part of its preparations for the eighth annual Empty Bowls Dinner, a benefit for the Drop In Center, the Brattleboro Clayworks is hosting a Bowlerama on Saturday, June 25. 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, provide basic instruction, and troubleshoot if assistance is needed. 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. 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 the Clayworks at 802-254-9174 to reserve a place for you and your party. 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 clientele has increased significantly in the face of the challenges of the current economy. The Empty Bowls Dinner helps raise funds and awareness to alleviate hunger and homelessness.
This dinner is a collaborative event. Local potters contribute their bowls, local eateries contribute their meals, and loca musicians contribute their talents. For a $25 donation, participants will enjoy live music and a delicious meal in a handcrafted bowl to take home afterward. All proceeds go to the Drop In Center, a day center all year round – and, in the winter, an overnight shelter – that offers a community food shelf and support services.
The Empty Bowls Dinner, usually held on Saturday evenings, will take place this year on Sunday, October 9, during the Columbus Day weekend, at Landmark College in Putney.