Milwaukee Empty Bowls

I started my sixth grade curriculum this year talking to my students about the importance of making art for others. As a visual artist, I love to make art for myself, however, I most often use my talents to create art as thank you gifts, as well as birthday and Christmas gifts for family and friends.  While this is a great way to share my talents, I wanted my students to see how creating art could be more than just a present. I wanted them to see how they could use their talents to really impact a larger group of people, and in a small, yet meaningful way, make a difference.  

The perfect way to make this happen was to have my students create bowls for   Milwaukee Empty Bowls.  MEB is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that uses art to heighten hunger awareness and raise funds that help food pantries and meal programs in Milwaukee. Each year, hand-made bowls are created and donated for their main fundraising event. To accomplish this task, we worked with visiting artist, Ms. Vicki Samolyk and used clay bowl molds borrowed from Murray Hill Pottery. Students worked individually or with a partner to create bowls, adding texture and stamped patterns to the walls for decoration. They learned how to roll a coil and add a foot through scoring and slipping the clay. The final step was to glaze the bowls with bright and bold colors. 

This past Sunday, I attended the fundraising event with my daughter.  We were so excited to see a table displaying our student bowls labeled University School of Milwaukee!   This project was a great way to share our talents and support a worthy cause in our community!