Walk through the ClayWays gallery door into the pottery studio, and you'll be greeted by a ceramic totem pole. Twelve hand-made, brightly painted pots encircle a metal beam, stacking up almost to the ceiling. Beyond that, everything seems putty-colored. Unfinished pottery and damp gray clay fill the metal shelves and worktables running down the middle of the room.
This Sunday, the rest of this room will become as colorful as that totem pole. Thousands of hand-painted bowls will fill the tables during a fund-raising event for the Capital Area Food Bank.
The Tenth Annual Austin Empty Bowl Project is part of a national potters' effort to end hunger. ClayWays Pottery Studio and Gallery invites anyone to purchase a bowl from the donated selection, then fill it with complementary soup and bread. Each bowl costs $15, and all proceeds go directly in the form of donations to the Capital Area Food Bank.
"It's held the first Sunday before Thanksgiving to remind us, going into Thanksgiving dinner, that some people have empty bowls," said Kit Adams, owner of ClayWays.
The Capital Area Food Bank is able to provide five meals for every dollar, Adams said. After this year's event, the Austin Empty Bowl Project will have provided more than 1.5 million meals for Texans.
The nearly 30 Austin restaurants donating soup and bread for the event include Wink, Zoot, Café Josie, Z Tejas and Upper Crust Bakery. The project will feature a silent auction with bowls signed by celebrities, including Carol Burnett, Lance Armstrong, Lyle Lovett, Jimmie Vaughan, Benjamin McKenzie and Willie Nelson. Hester Weigand, event coordinator, said artist Amado Peña painted an original Peña image inside his signed bowl.
Charitable pottery connoisseurs will also be able to enjoy live music while sipping their soup. Guitarist Nick Hurt and violinist Sarah Pizzichemi, both freshman music performance majors, will play during the event.
"We feel very fortunate that we are given the opportunities we have in our lives and want to give back to our community," Pizzichemi said.
Pizzichemi and Hurt will play several classical duets by Nicolò Paganini. Hurt said he feels lucky to be able to devote his higher education studies to music, and he doesn't take it for granted.
"I am very aware that this study is a luxury that, unfortunately, many people are unable to enjoy," Hurt said. "So I try and give back to the community as often as I can."
For pottery student Debbie Besch, one of the best parts of the day is when someone chooses a bowl she made.
"I get such a charge out of it," Besch said. "People are so happy. They get their bowl. They love it. They hold it and carry it around like it's a treasure."
Potters from all over Central Texas and as far away as Baltimore are donating bowls this year to help ClayWays reach their goal of 1,800 bowls, Weigand said. Though it may sound like a high number for a four-hour event, Weigand said they usually don't have a problem selling all the bowls.
"The first person in line last year showed up at 8 a.m.," Weigand said. "By the time we opened at 11, there were 400 people in line."
She recommends coming later in the day to avoid long lines. Not all of the bowls are put on display at once, so if you show up later "all the good bowls won't already be taken," Weigand said.
Adams' inspiration for the Austin Empty Bowl Project was her mentor, a nun in Illinois who had a craft school.
"She always said that you need to give back to the community," Adams said. ClayWays plans on continuing to give back to the community beyond Empty Bowl.
Two Airstream Trailers sit parked on Shoalmont Street, next to the pottery studio and gallery. A group of engineers have volunteered to clean, paint and polish the trailers. Soon they will become mobile clay studios. Project Clay Play will bring the art of pottery to underprivileged and at-risk kids across Central Texas.
"I love teaching," Adams said. "It's all about community."
The Austin Empty Bowl Project will be held on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ClayWays Pottery Studio and Gallery, located at 5442 Burnet Road.
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