This spring, Middlesex artists participated in The Empty Bowls Project, a grassroots philanthropy initiative aimed at raising both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger. A team of Middlesex students, faculty, and faculty children gathered in the ceramics studio to make hundreds of bowls, which they shaped, fired, and glazed in the weeks leading up to the School’s annual Spring Carnival. With help from Middlesex ceramics teacher Megan Morrison ’09, the students then set up a station at the carnival, where they sold their artwork to the community. The ceramic bowls weren’t empty, however; each was filled with a scoop of ice cream, leaving customers with a trio of satisfactions: a cold treat on a warm spring day, a beaufitful handcrafted bowl to bring home, and, most importantly, the donation of $5 to a worthy cause.
By the end of the day, the Middlesex ceramicists sold around 150 bowls and raised $980 for their chosen charity, Gaining Ground. Located in Concord, Gaining Ground is a nonprofit organic farm that grows fruits and vegetables and donates them to local food pantries and meal programs. Our artists were thrilled to visit and tour the farm, and were eager to channel their creativity, teamwork, and genorocity toward this esteemed local organization.