The Lied Art Gallery is hosting the Empty Bowls project this week to raise awareness of hunger in the Omaha community.
Empty Bowls is a nationwide project that caters to the individual needs of the communities involved. Participants may purchase ceramic bowls for $10 and receive a simple meal in return. The bowls serve as a reminder that, somewhere in America, someone is hungry. Dixie Quicks will be providing soup for participants in the Lied Gallery’s event, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Siena Francis House.
This is the third time Amy Nelson, an associate professor in Creighton’s Fine and Performing Arts Department, coordinated this event, along with the help of Lied Gallery director Dr. Erin Averett and associate professor Doug Schroder. Creighton ceramics students, as well as students from local schools throughout Omaha, helped construct the hundreds of bowls to be sold. Averett encourages people to come early, since the bowls tend to sell fast. She said she also hopes students and members of the Omaha community will recognize the importance of this simple, yet highly influential, event.
“We’re emphasizing the role the arts have in the community,” Averett said. “We are harnessing the power of art to raise awareness of social justice in the community.”
The event is taking place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the gallery.