18th Annual WSW Chili Bowl Fiesta

WSW Chili Bowl Fiesta

Saturday Feb. 28th, 2015
Rosendale Recreation Center Route 32
$5 Early admission 2pm-4pm,
Free general admission 4pm-7pm
music by: Dog on Fleas

Call for Volunteers
The Chili Bowl Fiesta is always a great time, and we couldn’t do it without our wonderful volunteers. We need help with all aspects of the event, from set-up to serving to clean-up. We especially need volunteers to assist with parking for 2 hour time slots – 1:30-3 pm, 3-5 pm, 5-7 pm. There’s an opportunity for everyone! Want to join the fun?

Get in touch with us at (845) 658-9133 or info@wsworkshop.org to sign up as a volunteer today.

February is a tough month. Smack dab in the middle of winter, with back-to-back snow storms and endless shoveling, it seems like spring will never come. But there’s another side to February, filled with warm faces and delicious chili. That’s right: it’s time for the annual WSW Chili Bowl Fiesta! There’s no better cure for the winter blues than a plentiful scoop of chili in a brand new handmade bowl.

With 900 bowls of different shapes and sizes, live entertainment, and over twenty different types of chili, it’s no wonder Chili Bowl has become one of WSW’s most popular events. And with 850 of those 900 bowls sold every year, it’s also one of WSW’s most successful fundraisers. Each year Chili Bowl draws over 700 guests.

But the Chili Bowl is more than just impressive numbers. “This project is about way more than just making a whole bunch of bowls and making money”, says Ceramics Coordinator Ruth McKinney Burket. “It’s about bringing people together. I think that’s a part of who we are as Women’s Studio Workshop, as a community.”

The collaboration that makes the Chili Bowl possible surpasses what the average attendee might expect. Preparation for the event brings together WSW staff and interns, students, and volunteers of all ages and artistic backgrounds. Over 50 volunteers—from professional potters to individuals with no prior experience at all—make bowls for the event. WSW hosts Community Bowl Days, which give families, children, and inexperienced potters the opportunity to create bowls with assistance from interns and volunteers.

Opening the workshop’s doors gives community members the chance “to come in and see what we do, eat lunch with us, and paint some bowls,” says Ruth.

A unique ceramics community has grown out of this collaborative atmosphere. Every Wednesday is Throwing Night, when Chili Bowl volunteers, interns, former interns, and friends meet for a potluck dinner before heading down to throw, build, and decorate mugs, tumblers, and pots.

More people working in the studio means more hands creating bowls, making each piece a collaboration more interesting than the last. In fact, for every beautiful bowl you see, the likelihood that it was created by just one person is incredibly low. Most bowls have been crafted by up to four different people.

When you walk into the ceramics studio during Chili Bowl season, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a group of hardworking individuals who are having an absolute blast. Perhaps this is why Chili Bowl has become such a popular event: every bowl is created with dedication, enthusiasm, and warmth.

“The Chili Bowl is an embodiment of what makes Women’s Studio Workshop so special,” says Ruth.

http://www.wsworkshop.org/support-us/chili-bowl-fiesta/