20th annual Empty Bowls Houston Benefiting Houston Food Bank – May 16, 2026
WHAT: One of Houston’s best-loved grassroots fundraising events, Empty Bowls Houston, will return for the 20th annual event on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Empty Bowls is an international effort to fight hunger, implemented in Houston to benefit the Houston Food Bank. The unique lunch fundraiser is a collaboration between Houston area ceramists, woodturners and artists working in all media and Silver Street Studios to help our neighbors in need.
Since the inception of the event, Empty Bowls Houston has raised $1,208,959 for the Houston Food Bank! (This equates to more than 3,626,850 million meals for the hungry!)
Attendees enjoy perusing the 1,500-plus one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted bowls made and donated by Houston area ceramists and craft artists, which are available for a donation to the Houston Food Bank of $25 per bowl (100% goes to Houston Food Bank). There are also larger bowls available at higher prices. Note: for each $1 donated to Houston Food Bank, THREE meals are provided to the hungry, so, each $25 bowl purchased provides 75 meals!
The 20th annual event will be held at Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street.
There will be live artist demonstrations and live music throughout the day. All attendees who purchase bowls will enjoy a light lunch, water and a sweet treat.
WHEN: Saturday, May 16, 2026 ~ 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. *Food served ‘til it runs out!
WHERE: Silver Street Studios, 2000 Edwards Street (77007)
WEBSITE: www.EmptyBowlsHouston.org
SPONSORS (to date): Silver Street Studios, Archway Gallery, The Ceramic Store, The Joan Hohlt and Roger Wich Foundation, Patterson & Murphy Public Relations, SYSCO Nourishing Neighbors
EMPTY BOWLS COMMITTEE: Chair – Samantha Oldham; Andy Bally & Virginia Bally, Carol Berger, Sean Crowl, Anna Deans, Chanell Jones, Stacy Kuropata, Renee LeBlanc, Paula Murphy, Thomas Perry, Suzanne Sippel, Maddie Spera
EMPTY BOWLS HOUSTON PREVIEW PARTY – Friday, May 15, 6-8 pm
Silver Street Studios ~ 2000 Edwards St., Houston, TX
Enjoy light bites, beer and wine, and the first opportunity to purchase Empty Bowls! 100% of ticket sales and bowl sales benefit Empty Bowls Houston. Live music, light bites and beer & wine. Event co-chairs TBA.
ARCHWAY GALLERY’S EMPTY BOWLS INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION & SALE
May 2-30, 2026 www.archwaygallery.com
Opening Reception: May 2, 5 – 8 p.m. (Open to public, complimentary valet parking)
Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy (77006)
Archway Gallery is once again honored to host a special exhibition to raise money for Empty Bowls Houston. More than 30 finely crafted, one-of-a-kind bowls will be displayed along with work submitted by both 2D and 3D Archway Gallery artists, in concert with the Gallery’s April featured artist exhibition (Silvia PintaSouza). The Empty Bowls artwork will be available through the month of May with proceeds benefiting the Houston Food Bank. There is a special opening reception on May 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Archway Gallery to meet the artists and view these unique works. The bowls may be purchased and taken home the same day! Archway will have Empty Bowls artwork available as well on their website store. For up-to-date information, visit www.archwaygallery.com.
About Houston Food Bank
Serving Houston and southeast Texas since 1982, Houston Food Bank’s mission is to provide food for better lives. We provide access to 140 million nutritious meals in 18 counties through our 1,600 community partners of food pantries, soup kitchens, social service providers and schools. Filling gaps on plates, we have a strong focus on healthy foods and fresh produce. In collaboration with our community, we advocate for policy change and racial equity, and promote dialogue on ways to increase access to food and to improve the lives of those in our communities, including services and connections to programs that address the root causes of hunger and are aimed at helping families achieve long-term stability: nutrition education, health management and help with securing state-funded assistance. We are a resource for individuals and families in times of hardship. Houston Food Bank works alongside our partner food banks in Montgomery County, Galveston County and Brazos Valley. Houston Food Bank is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for the 14th consecutive year.
Website houstonfoodbank.org; Social media: @houstonfoodbank (Instagram and X), @thehoustonfoodbank (Facebook)
About Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC)
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is a nonprofit arts organization founded to advance education about the process, product and history of craft. HCCC’s major emphasis is on objects of art made primarily from craft materials: clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood or found/recycled materials. Visitors enjoy viewing engaging exhibitions, talking with resident artists, and exploring craft through innovative educational programming. Admission is free. Docent-led tours are available for groups, if scheduled in advance. www.crafthouston.org
About Archway Gallery
Artist owned and operated since 1976. Archway Gallery, one of Houston’s and the nation’s oldest artist-owned and operated galleries, is located at 2305 Dunlavy and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. Since 1976, Archway Gallery has been exhibiting the work of the area’s finest artists, providing a great selection of affordable, high quality art including sculpture, pottery, and painting in a variety of media and styles. One of the more than 30 resident artists is always on site, providing visitors the unique experience of meeting the artists who created the work while offering personal insight into the artistic process. Each month features a special exhibition highlighting a resident artist(s). The public is invited to the monthly opening receptions that celebrate the new installations and work, usually held the first Saturday of each month from 5 – 8 p.m. In addition to monthly exhibitions, Archway also hosts a variety of demonstrations and monthly readings for local writers and authors, as well as a “Tea and Tour” program, providing visitors with a free artist-led tour of the current exhibition, followed by tea and refreshments. With 30+ resident artists, Archway Gallery is THE destination in the Houston area for affordable art directly from the artist. For more information, visit ArchwayGallery.com or call 713.522.2409. “Like” Archway Gallery on Facebook.