Hurrah for the Arts Today

Hurrah for the Arts!

from KROX radio website November 3rd, 2010

RIVERVIEW HEALTH AUXILIARY SPONSORING AN ART SALE NOVEMBER 3 AND 4

The RiverView Health Auxiliary is sponsoring a wholesale art sale Wednesday, November 3^rd and Thursday, November 4^th from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and Friday, November 5^th from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in RiverView’s Heritage Hallway.  The public is encouraged to attend, please use the front hospital entrance.   Proceeds from the art sale fundraiser will go towards current RiverView Auxiliary projects, which include: a computer lab for Rehab Services, adaptive equipment for inpatients, a reading machine for care center residents, and carpeting for Glenmore Recovery Center.  In addition to those projects, the Auxiliary continues to provide a gift for each new baby born at RiverView, clothing for patients that are unable to wear their own clothing home, and activity bags for pediatric patients admitted to the hospital. For more information on the art fair and other upcoming RiverView Auxiliary events, contact Kathy Benda at 218-281-9473.

UMC TO HOST AN EMPTY BOWLS DINNER NOVEMBER 16

In the United States, it is the season of giving thanks for the abundance so many enjoy, but for others, it is only a gnawing reminder of the suffering caused by hunger. A project at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) will provide a way to help those who suffer and to remember the many empty bowls there are in this country and around the world.

An Empty Bowls Dinner, a combination service learning and community service project, is slated for Tuesday, November 16, 2010, from 5-7 p.m. The dinner, to be held in Bede Ballroom, brings to fruition a project that began more than a year ago under the direction of Lisa Loegering, assistant director of service learning. Tickets for the event are $15 and available at the Krazy Kiln in Crookston, at the 2^nd floor administrative desk in the Sargeant Student Center, or at the door.

Students in a pottery class at UMC taught by Assistant Professor Sonia Spaeth, high school students in Gary Stegman's pottery class at the Crookston High School (CHS), along with community members joined together last spring for a "Bowl-a-thon" and "Glaze-a-thon" at the CHS. In addition to Spaeth and Stegman, Jenn Steinbrink, artist and owner of the Krazy Kiln, collaborated to head up these events. In about five hours, about 65 community members created about 200 bowls (pictured to the right). Some of them were thrown, some were hand-built, but each one is unique. Those who come to the dinner will take home their bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls there are in the world.

Students in the Hospitality Association Club at UMC will be creating the soup, bread, and dessert served at the dinner. “This event really brought together a lot of collaborators and is truly a joint effort,” says Loegering. “The whole idea for the project was brought to my attention about five years ago, but there wasn’t enough funding to make it happen until one of our students was awarded grant funding to help support the project.”

Sophomore Katya Zepeda of Crookston, was one of two college students selected to receive a $1,000 Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) grant supporting innovative service-learning projects. Zepeda’s funding helped make the Empty Bowls project a reality. An additional aspect of this project was a partnership between UMC and about 10 students from CHS. On days when classes were released early, students were bused to UMC for some educational opportunities, and included preparing for this event.  “It took the willingness and work of Katya combined with the expertise and passion of Gary Stegman, Jenn Steinbrink and Sonia Spaeth to make this dinner happen,” Loegering says. “It simply would not have been possible without them and I am very grateful.”