ALTON — Aaron Agne of Ragin Cajun Restaurant and Piano Bar has offered 50 percent of the receipts on Sunday, Aug. 28, to go toward the Save the Towata Studio fund on the GoFundMe page started by James Thompson.
The fund is to support the financial portion of removing, cataloging and storing works by Arthur “Art” Towata, a well-known pottery artist and painter who has owned a gallery in Alton and taught his craft at Monticello College, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and his studio on Piasa Street for more than 50 years.
Half of the evening’s receipts for food and bar drinks will be donated to see that the task is completed before fall so the building at 604 Piasa St. can be repaired and repurposed into an art gallery and studios to serve visual artists and to help them to find work space and equipment to further their artistic goals.
Agne said it is his pleasure to help his neighbor, Art, to move and recatalog his materials and he could only hope to do more for his friend. The GoFundMe account is on Facebook or can be found under gofundme.com/2y64emny.
The evening hours will include great Cajun food, drinks and piano music to dine by. Aaron Agne asks the public to stop by to help support this great cause during business hours or to donate to the account if they can’t attend.
Rajin Cajun is at 210 W. Third St. in downtown Alton.