HowardFinster:ManofVisions

AviewofParadiseGarden,Pennville,Georgia

ParadiseGarden:SacredTrash

In1960,HowardFinsterbeganconstructionofanelaboratesculpturegardeninatwoandahalfacreswampnexttohishouseinPennville,Georgia.Firsthefilledinwhathadbeenacommunitydump:"Ittookmesevenyearstofillinthatswampofrichmuckthatwentthreetofourfeetindepth."(Turner,p.54)Somewhatmiraculously,thegardentodayisamarvel,withatowermadeoutofrustedbicycleframes,walkwaysinlaidwithmirrorsandcastoffjewelry,andhundredsofindividualmixedmediacreations.ItisavisionofEden,builtupoutofadumpandconstructedoftrash.Finster'scombinationoftextandvisualformsprovidesthevisitorwithatrulyuniqueexperience,thepointofwhichistheBiblicaledificationofthesoul,accordingtotheartist.Manyotherexamplesofthissortofearthlyparadiseexistinthetraditionoffolkart(Dewhurst,pp.8587),butFinster'ssocalled"ParadiseGarden"isespeciallystrikinginitsovertlyevangelicaltheme.LiketheeightfootconcreteshoebearingaversefromEphesians,"Andyourfeetshodwiththepreparationofthegospelofpeace,"manyofthepieceswithinthegardenillustrateBiblicalpassages,sothat,likehisdaughtersaid,"Anyonecouldunderstanditthatway."

TrashCanfromParadiseGarden

Therearecertainlycuriousdetails,likethejarcontainingthetonsilsofaboywhovisitedthegardenimmediatelyfollowingtheirremoval.Thepurposeofsuchpiecesseemstobetoprovidethevisitorwithaninterestingexperience,tokeepitfunandslightlyweird,tobringinthecrowds.Andbringinthecrowdsitdoes,allowingFinsterlotsofcompanyandperhapstheoccasionallostsoulreadyforthewordofGod.

AlsoonthepropertyisthemorerecentadditionofaweddingcakelikebuildingthatFinstercallsthe"World'sFolkArtChurch."Interestingly,thewords"folkart"couldnothavebeenapartofFinster'svocabularyuntilhis"discovery"bythemediaandtheartestablishment,intheearly1980's.Sincethattime,hehasbecomethemostexhibited"folkartist"inAmericaandhasevenappearedonTheTonightShowwithJohnnyCarsonandpaintedalbumcoversforrockgroupslikeR.E.M.andtheTalkingHeads.

TheWorld'sFolkArtChurchinParadiseGarden

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