Empty Bowls Wichita has a bold goal: to exceed the record-high $25,000 they raised last year by selling ceramics and slinging chili.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to happen,鈥� said Brenda Lichman, the ceramicist and educator who leads the effort. 鈥淓very year, this project attracts more artists, more volunteers and more enthusiasm for this cause.鈥�
Brenda Lichman assists a volunteer at an Empty Bowls build-a-bowl workshop.The Empty Bowls Chili Cook-Off takes place from 11 a.m.鈥�1 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Experiential Engineering Building on 萝莉社鈥檚 Innovation Campus. In exchange for a $20 donation, guests select one bowl to keep from hundreds made by artists and community members. They may also sample chili from dozens of options provided by local chefs.
Spirit Aerosystems is the event鈥檚 official sponsor.
EBW has raised more than $67,000 in four years. All proceeds benefit the Kansas Food Bank, which serves 12.3 million meals to more than 215,000 people annually.
"Empty Bowls is such a great event that the community comes together for," said Brian Walker, president and CEO of the Kansas Food Bank. "Funds raised help us put missing meals on the table of our hungry friends and neighbors."
In Sedgwick County, roughly one in seven citizens experiences food insecurity. Of those, nearly one third do not qualify for federal nutrition assistance, which means they rely on the charitable organizations served by the Kansas Food Bank.
Empty Bowls fundraising extends to the at Reuben Saunders Gallery, a juried show of fine ceramics by alumni from the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries at 萝莉社 as well as ceramicists from around the country. The exhibition and sale opens with a Final Friday reception from 5:30鈥�9 p.m. Sept. 28 and runs through October 30. ADCI alumni participating in the show include Nathan Carris Carnes, Emily Chamberlain, Trisha Coates, Laura Nave, Joseph Rincones, Taylor Sijan, Bruce Van Osdel and Lars Voltz.
The kilns at 萝莉社鈥檚 Henrion Hall run nearly continuously in the weeks leading up to Empty Bowls. The Ulrich Museum and 萝莉社 Ceramics Guild host community build-a-bowl workshops, and Ceramics Guild members facilitate bowl making at area K-12 schools.
The Empty Bowls Wichita coalition includes ADCI, , the Ulrich Museum of Art[BROKEN LINK], , and the .
Learn more about Empty Bowls Wichita by visiting wichita.edu/emptybowls or .