Pottery for a Cause
Moab Artist raises money for local non-profits among the COVID-19 chaos
March 24rd, 2020
A serendipitous pocket-dial inspired Aaron Rotchadl to auction off his pottery pieces and donate the money raised to causes around town- specifically ones that can help the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pocket dials are life when your name starts with AA,” quipped Rotchadl. But when he saw a call coming in from his friend Sam Robertson, he decided to answer. “Sam has been illustrating the Old Testament for the last seven years, and [he] told me how he was going to be auctioning off a dozen or more paintings over Facebook live feeds over the next few weeks to raise money for Coronavirus relief. This is when I realized that I have extra work, too, and should try to use it to raise some money for a good cause.”
In order to decide which organizations to donate to, Rotchadl originally looked to the example set by Bernie Sanders, who recently raised $2 million for various nonprofits to aid with COVID-19 relief. However, Rotchadl was not convinced these organizations were the same ones he should choose. “After a little vetting though,” he said, “I found that the top executives at those organizations are making up to three quarters of a million dollars. I thought, ‘WHOA! That’s not why I want to raise money.’”
Instead, Rotchadl turned to his Moab community to determine which organizations they felt would be most effective during this time of crisis. “I wanted to choose organizations that will help people that need it to meet their most basic needs, as well as anyone working in the healthcare sector right now,” Rotchadl explained, “Some of the organizations I chose I’d worked with through the Soup Bowl Fundraiser the last couple years, and the others I chose based on recommendations from friends.” (See bottom of article for a full list of nonprofits Rotchado will be donating to.)
Rotchadl will be auctioning off a total of 10 original pieces, which will be displayed on his Instagram page (@aaronrotchadl). In his first post of the series, he explains in detail the protocol for bidding. The auction will be carried out entirely through Instagram: bidders can leave a comment on the picture they would like to bid on with a dollar amount.
“If anyone would like to help- you can follow along on instagram and share with other friends,” said Rotchadl. “If you’re going to bid, please read the instructions carefully.”
Rotchadl can be found via his Instagram page (@aaronrotchadl) and his friend Sam Robertson, the inspiration for the project, can be found on Instagram at @Samrobertsonart and on Facebook at Sam Robertson Art.
Nonprofits Rotchadl will be donating to:
Bluff Area Mutual Aid
Full Circle Intertribal Center
Grand County Food Bank
Moab Free Health Clinic
Moab Healthcare Foundation
Moab Valley Multicultural Center
Seekhaven
UNICEF
