Empty Bowls Project Has Prague Debut

Despite the Czech Republic’s enduring ceramics tradition, the Empty Bowls movement has yet to get a Prague outing. Organizing potter Nina Rail saw the opportunity for charitable giving and artistic collaboration. 

“It’s a perfect charity event for potters, but it had somehow never taken place in the Czech Republic. The life of a potter is pretty solitary — we generally work alone in our studios. Empty Bowls is a great way for us to do something good together.”

Artists who have donated their original work to the Prague Empty Bowls event include Vladimír Groh and Yasuyo Nishida, Petr Jurníček, as well as Ms. Rail herself whose pieces have graced the tables of Sansho and other Prague restaurants.

“Saturday is really just about helping the hungry. But I’m also hoping to raise awareness of hand-made pottery and help create direct contact between makers and customers,” she says.

Soups start at 500 CZK per bowl with all proceeds going directly to the needy via food banks and the World Food Programme. Soup is furnished by those pioneers of the gourmet soup trend in Prague, Polévkárna.

“This should be the first of many annual Empty Bowls events in Prague. Potters are already lining up for next year,” Ms. Rail says.