Art Opening & Appalachian Music

Join us for the opening reception of Paradise Garden Foundation’s next art exhibition entitled, "Summerville Collects: Local Treasures by Howard Finster", on Saturday, March 7, 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit showcases Finster’s work collected by several local families in Summerville and Chattooga County who championed the local artist. The opening reception will also feature traditional old-time Appalachian music from Joseph Evans (Calhoun, GA) and Russell Cook (Rome, GA), known for their music with the Little Country Giants.

Howard Finster was one of America’s most widely known and prolific self-taught artists of the 20th century, producing 46,991 individually numbered pieces of art and creating a 2.5-acre art environment now listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Summerville, Georgia. During his artistic journey from 1976 to his death in 2001, several local families in Summerville and Chattooga County encouraged, honored and promoted Finster, including the Hurley, Parker, Schlachter, and Stansell families. "Summerville Collects: Local Treasures by Howard Finster" showcases these rare Finster treasures, some of which have never been exhibited before.

Summerville Collects is part of the Chattooga County programs and exhibits being presented in conjunction with the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Crossroads: Change in Rural America on view at the historic Summerville Depot.

The Smithsonian Museum of American Art has 16 Howard Finster works in its permanent collection. Howard Finster’s children’s album was released by the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings label. Finster has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine (2015) and on Smithsonian World TV show (1988), and is included in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

Summerville Collects is free for Chattooga County residents and members.

Admission for not-yet-members: $15 adults, $10 seniors, $5 students.

Children 12 and under: free.

Exhibit on view March 7 – May 31, 2020, Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.