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Historic
Bears Mill
Homemade
Soup and Handmade
Bowls Fundraiser
Historic
Bear’s Mill will be
hosting their 2nd annual “Soup n’ Bowl” fundraising event in the
gallery at the
Mill on Saturday, March 23. This
event will
feature handmade bowls created by artists who are donating their work
to benefit
The Friends of Bear’s Mill, Inc. non-profit organization. Potters Julie Clark,
Dionne Fleming, Rita
Wiley, and Loretta Wray will craft unique stoneware bowls of varying
sizes and
styles, featuring a variety of glazes.
Each
“Soup n’ Bowl” participant is entitled to a stoneware bowl as well as
to
supper, which includes soup, bread, drink, and dessert.
Each
of the participating
potters brings a unique sensibility to the craft, as well as an
appreciation
for Bear's Mill and it's heritage. Resident Bear's Mill artist Julie
Clark has
lived and worked at the historic site for over thirty years, and is
inspired by
the beauty and heritage which surrounds her. However, Julie also enjoys
the
challenge and allure of contemporary design; her artistic pairing of
these
disparate elements helps her work remain relevant as well as highly
regarded
even as it changes and evolves.
Rita
Wiley, a teacher who
lives in Indianapolis, started producing pottery with Ms. Clark even
before
Julie and her husband Terry moved to Bear's Mill; the friends share
basic
motivations and values, and have formed a working relationship which
fulfills
their artistic goals and reinforces their basic creative bond. Rita
finds a
purity of purpose in utilizing the universal elements – earth, air,
fire, and
water - to construct pieces which are aesthetically appealing, yet
useful, an
ideal in keeping with the spirit of Bear's Mill.
Loretta
Wray also appreciates
the Mill's connection with nature and the past, elements which are also
inherent to the graceful yet functional pieces she creates. The Troy
native
feels a relationship with those who purchase her pottery, and wants
those
people to also experience that connection which reaches past the artist
to the
earth from which the clay pieces are formed.
Shortly
after Versailles
resident Dionne Fleming began working at the Mill store several years
ago, she
was invited into Julie Clark's studio where she honed her innate skills
to
become a colleague to her mentor. “I watch Di's raw talent grow each
day that
she works in the studio,” Ms. Clark proudly stated. Dionne produces
work which
emphasizes simple, natural shapes and surfaces while exploring the
endless
possibilities offered by clay as a creative medium.
Roots
musician Brian Keith
Wallen will provide entertainment at “Soup 'n' Bowl” performing songs
from the
folk, bluegrass, jazz, and blues traditions. Soup is donated by The
Bistro Off
Broadway in Greenville, and bread will be provided by Troy's Bakehouse
Bread
and Cookie Company.
Tickets
for the event are
available at the Mill and cost $30 each or $25 for members of The
Friends of
Bear's Mill, Inc., the non-profit organization which operates the Mill. Serving times are 5:00
p.m., 6:30 p.m., and
8:00 p.m. To reserve tickets, call 937-548-5112; more information is
available
at www.bearsmill.com.
Bear's Mill is located at
6450 Arcanum-Bear's Mill Road about 5 miles east of Greenville.
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