Sea of Bowls Helps Feed Northland's Hungry

When I first came to Duluth seeking a writing job, the word on the street was that the place to be if I wanted job security was Harcourt-Brace-Javonovich (HBJ), a magazine publisher that employed as many as 400 people in their downtown offices. Despite the fact that a VP there had the same name as me, fortune intervened and I landed a writing position elsewhere. What people didn't see was the upheavals that would soon be so disruptive in the magazine industry. HBJ was sold, and the next company and the next. Consolidation moved some people to offices in Cleveland and left others to see employment elsewhere.

One of these was Dave Lynas, a graphic designer at HBJ, who chose not to leave the region, remaining here where he was already part of a community. The decision freed up his time to pursue his passion as a ceramicist and making pottery, teaching classes at the Duluth Art Institute and being a quiet influence for good to this day, and an unsung hero in the community for his lifetime of "giving back."

This week, in the Depot's Great Hall, the 20th annual Empty Bowl benefit is being conducted to raise money for the benefit of Second Harvest Food Bank, the largest provider of meals for the hungry in our region. According to potter Karin Kraemer, "Empty Bowl was the Brainchild of Dave Lynas and Linda Hebenstreit at the Duluth Art Institute." It's a remarkable event, both for its community participation and its impact. It's another major was in which the arts gives back to the community.

Nearly everyone involved in the pottery scene, artisan and amateur alike, is involved somehow. Many, like Kraemer, open their studios for months in advance so that others can join in making of decorating bowls. (I decorated two.) Local schools have students making bowls. The Duluth Art Institute, Lake Superior College and many others contribute. In the end, it's literally a sea of bowls and historically it works like this: you go to the Depot and buy a bowl of soup, except you get to take the bowl home with you. The Empty Bowl benefit provides you with a meal, and you also have a souvenir that also serves to remind you of the hunger here that has not been eradicated in our neighborhoods.

Second Harvest Food Bank provided 3.8 million dollars worth of meals last year. Empty Bowl helps stock those food supplies.

Because not all bowls are created equal, the event has evolved to include opportunities to bid on more exquisite ceramic works that have been set aside for this purpose. These are currently being auctioned online at BiddingforGood.com
 
Tomorrow evening, April 15, is the famous Sea of Bowls, a.k.a. Empty Bowl Preview Night, a gallery-style showing complete with wine and cheese reception. Bowls range in price from $25-$100. If you're expecting a nice tax refund, this might be a good place to consider sharing some of it. The event is from 5–7 pm at The Depot, 506 West Michigan Street here in Duluth. 

Tuesday's the big day, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  $20 includes a bowl and a simple soup meal. Price drops to $15 after 4:30. 

Everyone in the area is invited to come buy a bowl of soup. The bowl goes home with you, the money goes to the needy. You end up with your tummy full, and so do those whose stomachs need filling.

Jazz, Sea of Bowls and Samsara

“Oh salty sea, how much of your salt is tears from Portugal?” ~Fernando Pessoa

I've been watching Ken Burns' documentary Jazz again… so very powerful. Last night I watched Episode Seven which covers the period of World War II. There are so many powerful moments in this series, which is as much about the black experience in America as it is about the music. In one segment, the story is told of an integrated jazz group with Dave Brubeck that traveled together, played music together and fought together. We're talking about army guys in Europe here, not a Bob Hope USO entourage flying here and there to encourage the troops. Ken Burns cut to an elderly Brubeck telling the story of the first black man he ever saw. When he was young his father brought him to this man in Sacramento and had the black man open his shirt. With tears in his eyes Brubeck says, “He had a brand on his chest.”

The pain of this memory was exacerbated by his memories of returning from the war fighting side by side with black friends and seeing them returned into a segregated second class citizen status back here in the States. What were these men fighting for? Freedom? For whom?

Sea of Bowls

This Monday the Sea of Bowls will be on display preceding Tuesday’s 19th Annual Empty Bowl benefit for Second Harvest Northern Lake Food Bank. The fine art bowls will be available for purchase from 5-7 p.m. at The Depot, 507 West Michigan Street, Duluth. One of these fancy bowls can be yours for anywhere from $25 to $100. On Tuesday you can purchase bowls filled with a tasty soup de jour for $20. All proceeds go to feed needy people in Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. This is a really great concept, an inspired way in which the arts gives back to the community.

David Normal's Latest

For those of you in San Francisco, David Normal's latest painting, “Samsara” was displayed last Friday evening at Trickster Salon's "Primal Masquerade". For this event, Trickster teamed up with Aspect Gallery to present the event at 1000 Van Ness, a beautiful atrium ballroom on the ground floor of the AMC theater in San Francisco. From what I hear it was a pretty lively soiree. Normal just passed his 42nd birthday on the 19th of this month, so he was informally celebrating his birthday there. I was invited, but gosh, seems I've been pretty busy lately. You can read the story behind the painting here.

This Weekend in the Twin Ports

Check this week's Reader, or The Wave in today's Trib, for the music action at Luce, Beaners, The Rex and other hot spots. If you're into live comedy, Dubh Linn downton and V.I.P. Pizza (Tower Avenue, Superior) are the current hot spots. And for jazz, I think they're still doin' it at the 'Toga on Saturday afternoons beginning at three. For live theater, see what's happening at Stage II and The Play Ground. I myself will be dropping into Zinema 2 to see the next installment of Duluth Art Institute sponsored Robert Hughes film series, "Shock of the New." Life is happening all around you. And with spring in the air, I see lots more coming alive. Be a part of it.

“God wills, man dreams, the work is born.” ~Fernando Pessoa