Feature Article March 13, 2002
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Potter seeks to fill empty bowlsby Jeff GreenJackie Seaton has initiated the first Empty Bowls project in Lanark County. The Harper-based potter has made 400 of his finely crafted salt glazed ceramic bowls, and put them on display at Riverguild Fine Crafts on Gore Street in Perth. These bowls are not for sale in the normal way. Instead, they are available for a donation to the Empty Bowls Project, from which all proceeds will be shared between the Perth Food Bank and the Youth Activity Kommittee, which handles food distribution to young people in Perth who are in distress.The project will culminate on the Saturday of the annual Perth Festival of the Maples - April 27. Jackie will set up shop in front of the Riverguild with 300 to 400 bowls, and for a suggested donation of $20, people will be able to fill the bowl with one of a variety of gourmet soups provided by the restaurants of Perth. Jackie Seaton describes Empty Bowls as an idea started by a Michigan High School teacher in 1990, who got his high school students to make ceramic bowls for a charity dinner. In return for a donation, guests were served a simple meal of soup and bread. They were invited to keep the bowls as a reminder of world hunger. This project has a political meaning for Seaton, rather than being a simple fundraising event. He says the irony of hunger in any Canadian community has always seemed particularly cruel to me. Our political leaders keep reminding us that this is the best country in the world in which to live. How then to reconcile hunger in our own community? Potter Jackie Seaton has not only been producing salt glazed stoneware at his Harper Road studio for many years, he has also been active politically in various ways, and has also been a stalwart in the promotion of fine crafts. He was a founding member of several co-operatively operated fine craft stores, including the Riverguild in Perth, and was instrumental in establishing the Perth Autumn Studio Tour. As of now, about 100 of the 400 bowls have already been purchased, even though the project has had no organized publicity so far. In salt glazing, the glaze never reacts the same way twice, so each of the bowls is unique, and people are advised to act fast to get their favourite. The bowls can be taken home at the time of purchase, and if someone buys a bowl at the store before April 27, they will still be able to bring it and get a bowl of soup on that day, Seaton assures.There is a Sharbot Lake connection to the event, as the Katimavikers from Sharbot Lake will be helping out with the Empty Bowls project at the Festival of the Maples. The following restaurants will be providing soup for the Empty Bowls event: Fiddleheads Bar and Grill, Harry and Rosie's, The Hungry Planet, Maximilian's European Cuisine, Mexicali Rosas, Passiflora, and The Goodwood Oven.We will have an update about Empty Bowls in a future issue of The News.
