Several hundred community members enjoyed a delicious meal and took home beautifully handcrafted bowls on Saturday, December 3 while supporting local pantries at Oakton Community College’s Empty Bowls event. Around 1,200 handmade soup plates were sold, many of which make great Christmas gifts while supporting a good cause.
“We were so happy to finally host our Empty Bowls event in person after all these years. The crowd was incredible, so many people came out to support our cause. I would like to thank everyone who has joined us; we couldn’t have done it without you!” says Lou Pierozzi, Oakton’s Chair of Art and Design, who also serves as an advisor to the Ceramics Club.
Admission was free, but for a donation of just $16, attendees chose and kept their favorite artworks by local professional and student potters, watched bowls being made from a variety of materials, enjoyed a simple lunch of soup and bread, and heard live -Music.
Sponsored by Oakton’s Ceramics Club, Empty Bowls is part of a non-profit, global movement that has raised awareness of local and world hunger and raised millions of dollars for food banks, soup kitchens and other food programs. This year, 100% of proceeds from the event will go to the following organizations: Des Plaines Self-Help Closet and Pantry, Interfaith Action of Evanston, Maine Township Food Pantry, New Trier Township Food Pantry, Niles Township Food Pantry and Northfield Township Food Pantry .
With excellent facilities on the Des Plaines and Skokie campuses and online courses, the art department offers studio and classroom education. Oakton offers courses in Art History, Ceramics, Drawing, Life Drawing, Painting, Fundamentals of 2D and 3D Design, and Museum Studies. Small classes and individual attention ensure that students achieve their educational goals in our art classes.
Credit and non-credit courses are available and serve both traditional-age students and adult students. Many of the students are retired and take art classes for fun and personal enrichment. These courses create a sense of community and friendships. Seniors receive a reduced rate on tuition.
To register for classes, visit www.oakton.edu/admissions/register-for-classes.php.
