by Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Ceramics students and faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are using their talents to help the community.
After a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Empty Bowls, an event where art meets hunger, compassion and advocacy, returns Oct. 15, at the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery Store in the Murdale Shopping Center, 1815 W. Main St., Carbondale. The event is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Talented students and faculty are in the process of making more than 100 ceramic bowls, which can be purchased for $15 to $20 and then filled with a warm cup of soup donated by Neighborhood Co-op.
Proceeds from the event will go to The Survivor Empowerment Center (formerly The Women’s Center) and the Good Samaritan House, both in Carbondale, said Pattie Chalmers, a professor and head of the ceramics program in the School of Art and Design.
“We are pleased to once again be able to support the efforts made by local organizations to assist those in need in the local community,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers initiated the Empty Bowls program at SIU Carbondale in 2014; Empty Bowls is an international initiative.