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AAW Empty Bowl 2011 Questions

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I'd like to know more information about how the bowls for the St. Paul 2011 AAW 25th symposium will be sold. Sold to the attendees (who probably don't need more bowls ???) ??? Sold as a Silent Auction (never a great money maker) ??? If you are attending the event, it may make sense to bring a bowl, but the cost of shipping one just to participate would concern me.

I'm just looking for more information before I decide what I might do. I have contributed 25 bowls for each of the last 3 years to our local Empty Bowl dinner in Monument Colorado which benefits our local Tri-Lakes Cares assistance center (going to the attendees for their $ 20 donation). Several of us have been bringing free wood and bowl blanks to our club meetings over the last few years, and the Pikes Peak Woodturners have been doing 100 to 125 bowls each of those years. I have also donated turnings each year for their Silent Auction. I have donated bowls for the Empty Bowl dinner in central Wisconsin in the past. I have been doing about 10 hours a week of free volunteer medical service at Tri-Lakes Cares as well (probably the most helpful of all of my efforts).

The idea of "think globally, act locally" has been out there for years. It almost seems to me that "acting locally" for Empty Bowls----continuing all of the current ongoing programs, and encouraging every chapter to start and/or support an ongoing similar program would accomplish more than a one time AAW symposium event which looks a little bit like an AAW PR feel good event. I realize that having the AAW program does also promote the expansion of Empty Bowl events internationally which is wonderful. It makes a little sense to invite the St. Paul attendees to bring the turnings, but unless I hear additional information to the contrary, universal participation in the AAW program makes less sense to me than "acting locally". I am open to any additional information for any program to aid those less fortunate in these difficult economic times. More info please.

Dr. Bob (Robert Gibbs)
 
The bowls will be sold, I believe for $25 each. Next year IS the AAW's 25th anniversary!

I will be buying a bowl ... something that I can actually use. And of course I want to support the Empty Bowls program with a $$ donation. I believe that many others who attend the symposium will do the same.

As always, the Instant Gallery is open to the public and there will be a good bit of publicity in the local area. I'm sure that this symposium will have a lot of visitors. They will be encouraged to buy a bowl, too. By doing so, they will have a souvenir of our event and donate to a worthy cause.

Many of the professional woodturners I know will be making a fancy, decorated bowl for this program (I will be!). No doubt those bowls will sell quickly. This Empty Bowl program could likely end up being very successful! My suggestion to anyone who wants to donate a bowl to this program that he or she donate one or two really awesome bowls, ones that will find their way into the hands of eager buyers!


Betty Scarpino, editor, AW
 
in agreement with dr bob

I would tend to to agree with what dr bob has said.
not sure what betty was trying to say
I cant believe the likes of binh po or other "note worthy" artists who sell their works for 4 5 or 6 figures is going to donate one of their creations to sell for $25
Just the cynical side of me speaking
 
in this case cynicism is misplaced especially when applied to Binh.
Every year many professionals donate turnings to the AAW. most notable are donations to the EOG fund.

One of the beautiful things about the AAW symposium is the camaraderie and the giving nature of the attendees.

Binh in particular has been extremely generous.

Perhaps you missed the Disaster relief fundraiser Binh organized after Katrina.

A few years ago Binh finished a piece started by Frank Sudol. I think it fetched $30K for the EOG.

I would add that to sell a Binh Pho bowl for $25 would not be wise if the goal is raising money. I would imagine a silent auction with minimum $25 bid to start.


What impresses me is the less skilled turners who will donate the best bowl they have ever made
and the folks who will help out in the youth classes instead of attending demonstration sessions.

Hope you all can come to St Paul and see what happens.

Happy Turning
Al
 
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.... the AAW program makes less sense to me than "acting locally".....

My woodturning club, Woodturners of North Texas, has been participating in the local Empty Bowls Project for the past four or five years.

The bowls will be sold, I believe for $25 each.

Here is the way that the Empty Bowls Project works. Potters and wodturners make bowls and donate them to their area food bank. Local restaurants have their chefs prepare and donate the soup and bread which is served in paper bowls. People buy tickets to the Empty Bowls event for $35 here (it might be $25 in St. Paul) and get a nice meal of soup and bread. After the meal, they go to the area where the bowls are displayed and choose one to take home as a "thank you" gift. So, to be clear about it, people do not BUY the bowls. The people at our local food bank have said that the wooden bowls are the most popular, but the wooden bowls are only a tiny fraction of the bowls donated. For the most part, the bowls are pottery, ceramic, and glass.

Everything that the food bank gets has been donated (including advertising) and all of the money generated by the Empty Bowls event goes to the food bank so that they can purchase food to give to needy families.
 
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Thanks to all and to Bill, Our program in Colorado is similar......but they cue up early to pick their bowls first...and then move on to the soup and the bread and the desserts..........Ours is $ 20 for the event..........all benefits the Tri-Lakes Cares local care and share organization...........This was the 15th year for our EB dinner

I'm still voting for all clubs to find their closest Empty Bowl site and support them locally--start new programs.........and anyone going to the St Paul symposium would be well thanked for contributing to that event and to helping those more unfortunate................"do unto others"..............

I was just contacted by a club member whose daughter and her family are heavily involved in supporting safe shelters for the sex trafficking of children in America..........not only happening in Thailand and Europe and ........

I will gladly donate a whole bunch of turnings to them......and hopefully we will establish a safe house here in Colorado........not sure, but I think he said there are only 3 of them in the US....

Thanks again Bill for supporting the local EB food shelters..........

Dr. Bob
 
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