KEAUHOU — After Waimea resident Juliana Kasberg saw the email from Donkey Mill Art Center promoting the 12th annual Cool Fusion: Festival of 1,000 Bowls, she printed it out and kept it for weeks leading up to Saturday’s event.
And like most who came to the festival at Keauhou Shopping Center, Kasberg and Lauren Pollard, who was with her at the festival, gave careful consideration to which bowls they would claim.
“I liked the colors; I liked the size,” Pollard said about her bowl. “I liked that I can fit it in my cabinet with my other bowls … ”
“Mine had to fit ice cream,” Kasberg said.
The annual event supports the Donkey Mill, a community art center in Holualoa.
Rebecca Villegas, Donkey Mill event coordinator, said the art center’s ceramics department created about 1,600 handmade and decorated bowls of various shapes, sizes, colors and textures.
After picking the bowl of their choice, attendees were able to fill it up with a traditional cold noodle dish, prepared with the help of the culinary department at Kealakehe High School.
Villegas noted that collaborating with other community organizations is one of the art center’s goals, including offering opportunities for culinary students to get hands-on experience with food preparation.
The event also included Gypsea Gelato and live performances by Kona Dance and Performing Arts and Big Island Music Academy, among others.
That, Villegas said, is the fusion in the celebration.
“Communities are stronger together,” she said, “and so we like to provide opportunities to fuse all the talents and resources that everyone has to offer and making the load lighter, and the outcome this much more spectacular.”
The festival is one of Donkey Mill’s two signature fundraisers during the year — the other an annual art auction in February. It allows Donkey Mill to continue offering classes for adults and children, as well as cover expenses the nonprofit incurs.
Erik Omundson, a ceramics teacher at Donkey Mill, pointed out the importance of the festival and the art auction for the center, along with the public’s support of the major events.
“Without these two legs, we have nothing to stand on,” he said.
He added the Festival of 1,000 Bowls offers a chance for people to engage with art they also get to take with them.
“A lot of people go to shows and just look at work,” Omundson said, “but they come home with something on this one.”
And regardless of how people express themselves — whether a potter’s bowl, Pollard’s baking or Kasberg’s crafting and photography — that creativity has an important place in everyone’s lives.
“I think it’s just good for your soul,” Pollard said.
“It brings out your own personality,” Kasberg added, “and not get stuck in a pigeonhole.”
Email Cameron Miculka at cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com.
