Good Dirt

2012 WINTER

*Winter Classes

*Instructors

*Registration and Cancellation

*Parties and Workshops

*Try Clay

*Private Artist Studios

*The Gallery @ Good Dirt

*E-mail List Sign-up

Map

info.gooddirt@gmail.com

GOOD DIRT in the COMMUNITY

EMPTY BOWLS 2011 . . .

Over the years, Good Dirt and the pottery community at large have made an ever-increasing commitment to support the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia through their annual Empty Bowls event. Just last year we produced over 700 individual handmade bowls for the event and over a dozen talented local potters contributed a beautiful piece to their silent auction. This year, our goal is to increase our impact even further both in terms of money raised and in awareness of the persistent problems of poverty and hunger in our community.

Why should we devote so much energy to this Empty Bowls event every year? There is the obvious connection between food and the vessels we make to contain it. However, there is a much deeper connection. Potters use their hands to create objects that are imbued with the energy of their maker. We put a lot of effort into creating vessels that function well, have lasting beauty, and forge a connection between a real live maker of tangible objects and those who enjoy them. By creating bowls for the Empty Bowls event, we can see a direct impact of our physical and artistic effort on a much larger societal problem. This pulls us together as a community and connects us to the people whom the Food Bank serves.

We’ve already begun making preparations for this year’s event. Potters have graciously agreed to donate again to the silent auction. I’ve already begun throwing bowls. Good Dirt will host an event on January 16 from 12-5 in honor of the MLK day of service at which hundreds of beautiful bowls will flow from over a dozen potters’ wheels all humming along together. In typical Good Dirt fashion, we’ll follow the event with a pot-luck dinner.

The silent auction pieces will go up on the Food Bank website at the end of February, and this year, we will have two events on the Empty Bowls theme at the end of March. Good Dirt will host “Hand-made for the Hungry” a preview event, soup cook-off, and bowl pre-sale on Saturday, March 26 from 12 – 3pm. This family-friendly benefit will have live music, a clay play area for the kids, bowl-throwing demos, and lots of great pottery and food. The traditional luncheon will take place on March 30 at the Classic Center. Watch this space for details as the event draws nearer or become a fan on our facebook page for up to the minute information.

GREEN NOTES . . .

We rebuilt the arch on the gas kiln, added more insulation, and reconfigured the bagwalls two firings ago. So far, we’re seeing some great energy savings. The firing time has been cut from 12+ hours to around 8 hours. The results so far are encouraging and we’re reducing our output of greenhouse gases. It’s a modest improvement, but significant nonetheless.

Good Dirt constantly reaches out to the greater Athens community to share the joys of creating with clay. We have established successful after-school programs at Clarke County’s public elementary schools, including Barnett Shoals, Timothy, and Barrow Elementary. We bring clay programs to the seniors at Arbor Terrace assisted living, and we have weekly classes for those with developmental challenges at Hope Haven. Working in clay has such a therapeutic effect regardless of age or ability, and we are pleased to be able to share the experience.

Good Dirt has supported Project Safe for the past two years by bringing clay projects to the annual Christmas dinner for clients and their families. We have also undertaken a massive effort for the past two years to create handmade bowls for the annual Empty Bowls luncheon in support of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Potters gather at the wheels in the studio and create over 100 bowls in a single sitting. These are then glazed and fired in the Good Dirt gas kiln in time for the luncheon and silent auction, and the effort is both popular with attendees and effective at raising funds for the charity. We offer partial and full scholarships to our classes and kids camps throughout the year. The initial seed money for this scholarship program came from the generosity of potters and other artists participating in our holiday sale. Thanks to the organization and effort of Annette Gates, many participants donated the proceeds from several of their pieces to the scholarship fund. Good Dirt then matched these funds to allow many students who would not otherwise be able to afford art classes to have a significant enriching activity at the clay studio.

Good Dirt donates countless gift certificates to local charitable organizations for their silent auctions. We also bring our activities out to the larger community at events like Athfest, Scary-Oozy-Slimy Day at Sandy Creek Nature Center, and numerous programs at the State Botanical Garden. Good Dirt also partners with local charitable organizations to set up fundraising events at our studio in which a portion of the proceeds go back to the charity and everyone has a great time playing in the clay. Feel free to contact us with any ideas of how Good Dirt can enrich the local community with its activities and resources.

MAKING BOWLS for the EMPTY BOWL LUNCHEON

GOOD DIRT hosts birthday parties, sorority/fraternity functions
and workshops for any group, any age.
Please call for more information.

510 North Thomas St. • Athens, GA 30601 • 706.355.3161
info.gooddirt@gmail.com

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	2012 WINTER Winter Classes Instructors Registration and Cancellation Parties and Workshops Try Clay Private Artist Studios The Gallery @ Good Dirt E-mail List Sign-up
Map info.gooddirt@gmail.com

GOOD DIRT in the COMMUNITY
EMPTY BOWLS 2011 . . . Over the years, Good Dirt and the pottery community at large have made an ever-increasing commitment to support the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia through their annual Empty Bowls event. Just last year we produced over 700 individual handmade bowls for the event and over a dozen talented local potters contributed a beautiful piece to their silent auction. This year, our goal is to increase our impact even further both in terms of money raised and in awareness of the persistent problems of poverty and hunger in our community. Why should we devote so much energy to this Empty Bowls event every year? There is the obvious connection between food and the vessels we make to contain it. However, there is a much deeper connection. Potters use their hands to create objects that are imbued with the energy of their maker. We put a lot of effort into creating vessels that function well, have lasting beauty, and forge a connection between a real live maker of tangible objects and those who enjoy them. By creating bowls for the Empty Bowls event, we can see a direct impact of our physical and artistic effort on a much larger societal problem. This pulls us together as a community and connects us to the people whom the Food Bank serves. We’ve already begun making preparations for this year’s event. Potters have graciously agreed to donate again to the silent auction. I’ve already begun throwing bowls. Good Dirt will host an event on January 16 from 12-5 in honor of the MLK day of service at which hundreds of beautiful bowls will flow from over a dozen potters’ wheels all humming along together. In typical Good Dirt fashion, we’ll follow the event with a pot-luck dinner. The silent auction pieces will go up on the Food Bank website at the end of February, and this year, we will have two events on the Empty Bowls theme at the end of March. Good Dirt will host “Hand-made for the Hungry” a preview event, soup cook-off, and bowl pre-sale on Saturday, March 26 from 12 – 3pm. This family-friendly benefit will have live music, a clay play area for the kids, bowl-throwing demos, and lots of great pottery and food. The traditional luncheon will take place on March 30 at the Classic Center. Watch this space for details as the event draws nearer or become a fan on our facebook page for up to the minute information. GREEN NOTES . . . We rebuilt the arch on the gas kiln, added more insulation, and reconfigured the bagwalls two firings ago. So far, we’re seeing some great energy savings. The firing time has been cut from 12+ hours to around 8 hours. The results so far are encouraging and we’re reducing our output of greenhouse gases. It’s a modest improvement, but significant nonetheless. Good Dirt constantly reaches out to the greater Athens community to share the joys of creating with clay. We have established successful after-school programs at Clarke County’s public elementary schools, including Barnett Shoals, Timothy, and Barrow Elementary. We bring clay programs to the seniors at Arbor Terrace assisted living, and we have weekly classes for those with developmental challenges at Hope Haven. Working in clay has such a therapeutic effect regardless of age or ability, and we are pleased to be able to share the experience. Good Dirt has supported Project Safe for the past two years by bringing clay projects to the annual Christmas dinner for clients and their families. We have also undertaken a massive effort for the past two years to create handmade bowls for the annual Empty Bowls luncheon in support of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. Potters gather at the wheels in the studio and create over 100 bowls in a single sitting. These are then glazed and fired in the Good Dirt gas kiln in time for the luncheon and silent auction, and the effort is both popular with attendees and effective at raising funds for the charity. We offer partial and full scholarships to our classes and kids camps throughout the year. The initial seed money for this scholarship program came from the generosity of potters and other artists participating in our holiday sale. Thanks to the organization and effort of Annette Gates, many participants donated the proceeds from several of their pieces to the scholarship fund. Good Dirt then matched these funds to allow many students who would not otherwise be able to afford art classes to have a significant enriching activity at the clay studio. Good Dirt donates countless gift certificates to local charitable organizations for their silent auctions. We also bring our activities out to the larger community at events like Athfest, Scary-Oozy-Slimy Day at Sandy Creek Nature Center, and numerous programs at the State Botanical Garden. Good Dirt also partners with local charitable organizations to set up fundraising events at our studio in which a portion of the proceeds go back to the charity and everyone has a great time playing in the clay. Feel free to contact us with any ideas of how Good Dirt can enrich the local community with its activities and resources.

MAKING BOWLS for the EMPTY BOWL LUNCHEON



GOOD DIRT hosts birthday parties, sorority/fraternity functions and workshops for any group, any age. Please call for more information. 510 North Thomas St. • Athens, GA 30601 • 706.355.3161 info.gooddirt@gmail.com
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