Empty Bowls Project Helps Fight Hunger

As part of the Empty Bowls project, an international effort to fight hunger, over 490 individuals gathered at Alumni Hall on Feb. 20 and paid $10 to eat a simple meal of soup and bread out of ceramic bowls. The artistic bowls, which were handcrafted almost entirely by Dartmouth students and faculty, were given to the guests as a reminder of worldwide hunger.

"It was such a huge communal effort," says Jenny Swanson, one of the organizers of the event and director of Dartmouth's Davidson Pottery Studio. "Participants seem to appreciate it because it's a social, hands-on way to address an important issue." In weeks leading up to the dinner, at the Davidson studio in Vermont, Swanson worked with individuals to craft the bowls.

One of the participants in the event was Sana Musasama, artist-in-residence in the Department of Studio Art through March 11. A New York-based sculptor, Musasama worked with students individually and shared her insights on creating socially significant ceramic pieces. Musasama currently has an installation, Maple Tree Series, on display at the Jaffe-Friede and Strauss Galleries in the Hopkins Center.

"It's a wonderful program," says Musasama. "It makes you think beyond your boundaries and look at the world as your family. There are mothers in the world who are worried that they can't feed their children, and that's so different from the worries of most mothers in the United States. It's such a hard thing. It makes my heart hurt. This is a way to reach out and let people know about the issue of world hunger."

The event was co-sponsored by the Hopkins Center, the Department of Studio Art, and the Hanover Inn. Carl Pratt, general manager of the inn, volunteered to provide food and utensils. Gerry Williams, a professional potter and the first New Hampshire Artist Laureate, spoke at the dinner, as did Swanson and Musasama.

Since its founding in 1990, Empty Bowls has contributed over $1 million to food banks, soup kitchens, and other organizations that fight hunger. But the project is equally important because it raises awareness. Swanson says, "Parents approached me after the event and asked, 'How can I do this in my child's school?'"

By STEVEN J. SMITH

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