News / 03 Sep 2025
MA Creative Practice students’ initiative raises money for local food bank
MA Creative Practice
Empty Bowls, an international grassroots initiative, made its debut in Leeds thanks to the efforts of students on our MA Creative Practice degree, raising £1000 for Rainbow Junktion, a community café and food bank in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Empty Bowls began in Michigan, USA, in the early 1990s and has since spread across the globe, raising millions for food-related charities. The project invites artists, students, and communities to create handmade bowls which are sold to raise money for organisations tackling food insecurity.
The initiative was launched in Leeds by ceramicist Rylee Shafer, who co-curated the project with fellow student Cara Burton, a visual artist and creative strategist. The project was supported by other MA Creative Practice students, including Jess Watson, who led on the marketing and documented the campaign.
The project made its debut at Chapel Allerton Arts Festival on 30–31 August 2025, where more than 65 bowls were sold raising £1,000 for Rainbow Junktion, a community café and food bank using surplus food to provide free, healthy meals for anyone in need.
Many of the bowls were handmade by Shafer, with additional contributions from pottery studios, including Firefly Pottery, the Northern Potters Association, Globe Arts, and Sunken Studio Leeds, as well as ceramic artists Gill Rogers and Jim Mason. They were decorated by students ranging from primary school children to BA and MA level students from across the University and other members of the local arts community. The project’s branding and poster design were created by Amakai O’Brien, a Leeds-based designer and BA (Hons) Visual Communication student, and the project was sponsored by CTM Potters Supplies.
“Here at Rainbow Junktion we rely heavily on donations and community support to turn surplus food into healthy meals, filling the bellies of hundreds of hungry people every week. The £1000 raised by Empty Bowls will ensure we can keep supporting our community, and we are so grateful for their solidarity, especially as the cost of living crisis continues to impact lives across Leeds. We had so much fun painting these bowls, and can't thank the project enough for the fun and support they have given us!”
Nic Harte, Manager, Rainbow Junktion
Empty Bowls is now being exhibited as part of Made It, the University’s postgraduate degree show, from 3 – 5 September at Blenheim Walk. Visitors are invited to celebrate the project’s success, view and reserve remaining bowls for purchase, and explore the exhibition documenting the Empty Bowls UK debut.
The team hopes to continue building Empty Bowls UK in Leeds, working with ceramicists, artists, students, and community partners to raise further awareness and funds for food insecurity in the future.