Funke Fired Arts is ready to roll out the red carpet for local potters who want to support the Clay Alliance Empty Bowls event. We all make bowls separately so why not make them together? Funke’s will provide the food, and clay(if you don’t mind recycled 153), rx drinks, wheels, and adoring fans so grab your friends and family and join in the fun. The event works like this:

The Throw-A-Thon is all about clay artists showing a united front in support of the Clay Alliance Empty Bowls charity event as well as the empty bowls movement happening all over the pottery world.

Saturday, October 13^th, members of the clay community can come to Funke Fired Arts to make their 12 bowls to donate to the Empty Bowls event.

The studio will be open from 5:00 to 9:00 pm for potters to work. We want your family, friends, and neighbors to know what Empty Bowls is so bring them along and get them involved. Hire cousin Albert to wedge your clay and get grandma to sell the “Take Empty Bowls Home” party basket with the addition of her special soup recipe! This is an event about giving and we want those close to you to know how your talents make the community stronger. Competitions will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 to spice up the evening. Prizes will be given for the most original set of soup bowls as well as the best set thrown without hands! I have perfected the “Centering and Pulling with Earlobes” technique so just try and beat me! Form a team or just go solo. Either way we should have a great time. High school students interested in clay will be here to take part and help out with wedging! Over the last two years we have had 68 potters take part in the throwing and handbuilding!

Here is how to participate:

• Potters are asked to donate at least 12 bowls to the Clay Alliance Empty Bowls event in order to receive a free ticket.
• Potters bring their own tools.
• We will provide 20 pounds of recycled stoneware
• Clay can be purchased or you can bring your own if you prefer a different body
• Pick a wheel and make 12 bowls in YOUR style.
• Take a break while your bowls set up on the drying rack.

If you want to trim your bowls here, we have drying racks to help with that.  If you don’t have time to trim the bowls, take your freshly made bowls back to your own studio to finish. If you get your bowls trimmed, we will bisque fire them for free and have them out for the Glaze-a-Thon at Core Clay later in October. I know that traveling with greenware is a hassle but if we get news time and articles because of the Throw-Thon and Glaze-a-Thon, we have the chance to sell way more tickets to Empty Bowls and make more money for the kids. All of this also sheds more light on the problem we are trying to solve.

Remember, 12 bowls are the minimum donation to receive a free ticket for the Clay Alliance event. Feel free to make WAY more than 12 if you have the time. Potters in the past have donated up to 50 bowls in their own style. Some potters donate 12 and then make others for our volunteers to finish. If you want to donate anonymously or leave extras for our team, we can finish your “extras” and put them in the “12 Hands for Hunger” section of Empty Bowls. “12 Hands for Hunger,” which highlights the work that goes into the creation of each bowl, is a great collaborative project that shows the efforts of the clay community in a new light. These pieces will only be marked with the logo and tag of the collaboration.  Also, anyone who wants to participate but doesn’t have the ability to trim, glaze, and fire their donations, can give their work to the 12 hands collaboration.

We want the community to see the POWER OF THE POTTER! So come and show your support for the FreeStore FoodBank and the Clay Alliance.

We will have Clay Alliance and FreeStore FoodBank representation at the event. Two years ago we started the Empty Bowls at Home project where we created gift baskets with hand-made bowls and a donation envelope. People purchase the baskets, put on their own “Empty Bowls” dinner party, and send the proceeds to the Clay Alliance. This project has been a huge success and we hope to build on that success this year. If you would like to help out the “Take Home Empty Bowls” project, please contact me at 513.871.2529 and get involved.

We truly hope you will join us for this fun event. We have a talented and caring community and this fact is brought to light when we all come together for a common cause. Mark your calendars and call us with any questions. Thanks again and see you there!

Sincerely,

Ben Clark

bclark@funkefiredarts.com

Education Director

Funke Fired Arts