By Alyssa Tasto
When picturing an empty bowl, “hope” is not usually a word that comes to mind, but for the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, empty bowls are vessels that will carry positive change to the St. Joseph community — a true symbol of hope indeed.
Empty Bowls is a collaborative effort by artists in cities across the United States to support food-related charities. The Benedictines’ upcoming event, “Empty Bowls: A Gathering of Hope,” will take place Oct. 11 at The House Food and Tap in St. Joseph, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
At this community event, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a handcrafted bowl and enjoy soups at The House. Each bowl costs only what attendees are willing to donate — there are no set price. All proceeds from the event will go to the St. Joseph Food Shelf.
Earlier this year, Michael Ziomko, a retired potter living in Fergus Falls, reached out to Benedictine Sister Karen Rose, prioress of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, to discuss the sisters’ interest in organizing an Empty Bowls celebration. Ziomko began his work with Empty Bowls in 2005 in Powderhorn, his south Minneapolis neighborhood. For Elizabeth Reum, director of Social Justice Ministries at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, and Sister Karen, the answer to Ziomko’s inquiry was an enthusiastic “yes.”
Local artists have been eager to get involved and offer their craft to the cause. The event is completely donation-based, from the empty bowls themselves to the soup served to the promotional materials. Hand-printed posters for the event were made by Mary Bruno, owner of Bruno Press in St. Joseph, at no charge. Backwards Bread in St. Cloud and the Saint John’s Bakery in Collegeville, will be providing bread for the soup meal, and Reum will be collaborating with the monastery kitchen to make the soups. She is hoping to involve local restaurants as well.
Sam Johnson, an artist and art professor at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph; Bob and Liz Felix, a father-daughter duo of potters; and J.D. and Megan Jorgenson, owners of Maine Prairie Studio in Kimball, and their studio artists are just a few of the potters stepping up to donate their time and clay to this gathering of hope.
“I believe in our community,” Johnson said. He has chosen to donate his pottery to this cause, stating that he hopes it “finds its way into hearts and lives in a meaningful way. I hope that this event binds our community together in love and connection.”
Also lending their talent is the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud. With a robust ceramics program open to both beginners and experts, participating in the Empty Bowls celebration seemed like a natural fit for the organization, said Aimee Miron, director of community engagement at the Paramount.
The Paramount’s Clay Cohort is a specific group of advanced potters who meet on a regular basis to engage in further education. The Clay Cohort is confirmed to meet in September to throw clay for bowls. They will then return at a later date prior to the event to glaze the bowls they make, which will finally be donated to the Empty Bowls event. The Paramount will cover the cost of clay, firing and glazing, and Miron hopes to have Paramount staff transport the final products to St. Joseph. Showing up in the community is essential to the Paramount’s mission, said Miron, and she looks forward to the organization’s participation in events like Empty Bowls.
“This kind of stuff is resounding,” she said.
Reum expressed deep gratitude for the involvement of the community and support of the monastery, saying that it is especially remarkable to see people of different belief systems come together for this cause.
She noted that three confirmation classes, two Catholic and one Lutheran, will also be volunteering at the event. Both Reum and Miron acknowledged the importance of charitable events of this nature, especially at a time when the homeless population of St. Cloud is rising:
“This is something that we should step up and do,” Reum said. “Too often, people who struggle are not seen.”
Miron shared a similar sentiment: “We can’t look away. It’s our responsibility to share the resources and share the love.”
Alyssa Tasto is an occasional writer for The Central Minnesota Catholic.