It’s time for a clay date! Philly’s third annual “PhilaBowl” is just around the corner.
The empty bowl event, organized by The Clay Studio, takes place next Saturday, April 5. Local artists have worked to create a unique collection of hundreds of handmade ceramic bowls, which will be on sale at the event.
Josie Bockelman, The Clay Studio’s deputy director, is excited to walk attendees through the action.
“First is picking out your bowl,” she explained, and second is “sharing a meal together, or little tasty bites from both local businesses and community members.”
The PhilaBowl will also have many local food vendors on hand.
“We’re hoping to have up to over 500 bowls made for this event,” said Paul Serena, an artist and senior studio technician at The Clay Studio. “And that’s an effort by a large amount of in-house artists, including artists in residence and students and some associates.”
Serena is one of the artists who commissioned to create at least 25 bowls for the event — a number which he admits he went well past. All hands are on deck at The Clay Studio to make sure that PhilaBowl would be stocked with enough clay creations for attendees to choose from and take home.
“We do hold bowl-making parties,” Serena explained. “We have a space designated on our shared artist floor just for bowl-making production, so associates can help trim bowls and decorate and everything.”
The PhilaBowl is a fundraiser and The Clay Studio is partnering with the Lutheran Settlement House, which helps unhoused Philadelphians gain access to food and shelter. Half of the proceeds from the event will go to the charity organization, specifically their program that addresses food insecurity.
“The Lutheran Settlement House is about five blocks or so from The Clay Studio,” Bockelman said. “It’s important to us to give back to our neighbors and our community as much as we can in all these different ways. So when you come to the event, you know that’s at the heart of it. And then along with that, you get a community-made bowl.”
Pottery that’s personal
Like Serena, local ceramic artist Ruth Easterbrook has been commissioned to create 25 bowls. Easterbrook is hoping that PhilaBowl attendees embrace the imperfections and irregularities that come with handmade items.
“I am not in competition with Target or IKEA or these places that make very practical things,” Easterbrook said. “For me, it’s really about the interaction of the art that goes along with it and the human touch.”
Easterbrook grew up in Northern California, where she loved to hike and play outside. Much of her work is inspired by plant life and organic forms.
“Even though I’m now in the city, my love for plants and florals… has come through with the surfaces that I do,” she said. “It speaks to you. And then it starts appearing in your work.”
Easterbrook does not start with an exact idea of how her pottery will turn out when she works on a piece, but instead she has more of an “educated guess.” The Clay Studio accepts students at all skill levels and Serena echoes that approach when teaching.
“When I have newer or beginner students, I talk to them about why I love the medium, and one of the reasons I give is that the medium is very forgiving,” he said. “And I often talk about clay having like a language that you just learn over time, how to talk to clay and how to interact with it.”
For his part, Serena has been inspired by clay-making and pottery since he was a kid.
“I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t really working with clay or mud in the backyard,” he said. His style takes inspiration from symmetrical shapes and patterns, but also utility and function.
“I like to make things and know that they’re going to be a part of somebody’s day-to-day life,” the artist explained. “I like to visit friends and family and see a piece that I’ve made in their cupboard. I would never want to see something on display and not for use. It’s not its purpose.”
Let the bowl choose you
Once PhilaBowl attendees arrive, they will not only be getting to appreciate the different artwork on display, but also the hard task of actually choosing one of the over 500 to take home. A $35 ticket comes with one bowl included. (Food-only tickets are $10.)
“I love how intense people get about finding their perfect bowl,” Bockelman said. “How different and individualized it is for everyone is just so fascinating.”
Maya Wasileski, a Clay Studio artist and technician, will be working at this year’s event. She said that she’s anticipating needing to help certain overwhelmed attendees with guidance.
“I always say, ‘Pick it up, turn it over, hold it in your hand — really get to know it,’ ” she said. “It sounds a little ‘woo woo,’ but a lot of times you’ll pick up a pot and it really is speaking to you. So I just always think, pick things up and look at them a little closer.”
Wasileski created bowls for last year’s PhilaBowl, although she has not been commissioned to create artwork this year. Instead, she’s looking forward to enjoying food and being there to help out on the day.
Still, whichever bowl you choose, it’s strongly encouraged that you don’t actually use it to eat food at the event. “We’ve kind of learned over the years not to make the bowl that you pick out the one that you eat out of at the event,” Bockelman said.
Not every bowl has had the chance to be cleaned, so while they are food safe, it is best to give your bowl a proper scrub at home before you start enjoying it. A paper bowl will be provided at the event.
Serena is hoping that locals will have fun and that there will be repeat attendees from past events.
“I’ve often heard people talk about it being their favorite fundraiser event of the year,” he said. “It’s something that they look forward to.”
Certainly, it is rare that art and food intersect so seamlessly, but Bockelman feels that ceramics are the perfect medium to do so.
“There is just something really powerful about how handmade objects and ceramics in general just bring people together,” she said. “To share a meal, it’s at the core of the clay community. So sharing that with the broader community is so lovely as well.”
“I’m going to be first in line to get that special bowl and, you know, that’s a connection that stays with that individual,” she added. “They’re always going to have that story and that memory and where they were.”
The PhilaBowl takes place on Saturday, April 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Clay Studio in Fishtown. Tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for children, and $10 for the meal only (no bowl).
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