Finster Fest is an eccentric two-day celebration in Summerville, Georgia, held this weekend at the four-acre Paradise Gardens, the original home of the enduring creative titan that was Howard Finster, a folk and self-taught visionary artist, Baptist pastor, preacher, storyteller, and cultural icon whose work and life ultimately led to him being one of the most recognizable forces in American folk art.
This year’s Finster Fest marks thirty-five years since they first held the festival in 1991, and the annual event has turned into a pillar not only in the Summerville community, but throughout the Southeast, drawing thousands each year for two days chock full of over 82 folk, craft, and contemporary artists showcasing their works, 17 live music performances, food vendors, a free children’s art workshop, artists' talks and demonstrations, and so much more.
Rather than being constrained to one concert stage, the live music, which will feature incredible acts like T. Hardy Morris, Abe Patridge, and Jim White, to highlight a few, will be spread across multiple different stages spanning Paradise Gardens, including a Meditation Chapel, the Mosaic Garden, the Big Top stage, and World's Folk Art Church. Music genres range from bluegrass to country, to folk, to Americana, and Cajun.
There will also be dancing on Sunday, with the Atlanta-based Beacon Dance group bringing movement into the Mosaic Garden, alongside Seventeen Wheeler, blending live music and contemporary dance in a vibrant artist-oriented environment. This year’s event is also celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with Finster’s America, a unique exhibition exploring Finster’s distinct vision of American culture, history, and what patriotism truly means.
For Finster’s America, there will also be an America 250 scavenger hunt, where folks can scour Paradise Gardens in search of patriotic motifs or imagery that have been incorporated into the environment, with the programming for this exhibition being supported in part through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
In speaking with the executive director of the Paradise Garden Foundation, Davia Weatherill, about Finster Fest and the enduring legacy of Howard Finster, he detailed Howard’s process, suggesting that Howard was not interested in putting any boundaries we often see around art, and that there is a freedom to his pieces that separates him from his peers.
“Howard was an untrained artist who created thousands of individual works of art, but also turned his home and surroundings into a work of art itself. Originally called the Plant Farm, Paradise Garden is four acres of mosaics, vernacular architecture, signs, found objects, sculptures, and more. You really begin to understand Howard differently when you’re standing inside the world he created.
He didn’t seem particularly interested in the boundaries we often put around art. Howard incorporated religion, politics, popular culture, Coca-Cola, Elvis, presidents, inventions, everyday objects- almost anything could become part of his visual language.
Also, he used what he had available to him. He painted on wood shapes that he called “dimensions”, repurposed materials, and incorporated found objects throughout the Garden. I think that’s part of why he still feels so contemporary. There is an incredible freedom in his work. He didn’t wait for someone to tell him what art was supposed to look like or where it belonged. He simply made it.”
Finster himself has been a legendary creative tour-de-force for so many reasons, but I came to know him through the album artwork he did for one of R.E.M’s most notable albums, Reckoning, and the album artwork he did for The Talking Heads’ album Little Creatures, and the single “And She Was,” with Finster being commissioned to create the paintings used for the singles and album.
Another interesting component of this year’s Finster Fest is that, after 25 years of being closed, The World's Folk Art Church, a landmark structure, is being reopened and will be a part of the experience. This year’s event will also feature guesnote speakers like Pepper Raper from Rock City, as well as talks from Atlanta artist Black Cat Tops, Lala Abaddon, and Mavis Stephens.
Davia went on to discuss how Finster’s legacy lives on at Paradise Gardens, and how Finster Fest introduces folks who may not know of Howard Finster to his work and incredible life.
“We have two responsibilities that really go hand in hand. One is preserving Howard's physical legacy: his artwork, his buildings, and the four-acre environment he created. The other is making sure Paradise Garden continues to be a place that is active, where art is still happening.
Finster Fest brings those two things together beautifully. Someone may come because they follow one of our Finster Fest artists or want to hear a particular musician, and suddenly they're standing in the Mosaic Garden or walking into the World's Folk Art Church and discovering Howard for the first time.
At the same time, contemporary artists aren't being asked to recreate Howard's work. They're bringing their own voices here. That's important. I don't think the best way to honor an artist as original as Howard is to ask everyone who comes afterward to imitate him. It's to preserve what he created while giving other artists the freedom to create something of their own. That's what makes Paradise Garden feel alive rather than frozen at a particular moment in history.”
Davia, when asked about plans for the next few years and any artists or projects that they are excited about that will continue building on the legacy of Howard Finster, mentioned preservation and welcoming artists through exhibitions, programs, and residencies.
“I want contemporary artists to remain central to what happens here through exhibitions, artist residencies, music, educational programs, and Finster Fest. Howard welcomed artists into Paradise Garden during his lifetime, exhibited their work alongside his own, and encouraged them. Continuing to make room for artists today feels very true to the history of this place.
So when I think about the next several years, I don't see preservation and programming as competing priorities. They support each other. Preservation doesn't have to mean putting something behind glass. At Paradise Garden, we're preserving Howard's vision while continuing the creative energy that made the place extraordinary in the first place.”
Finster Fest
- Saturday, September 19th, and Sunday, September 20th.
- Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden. 200 N. Lewis Street. Summerville, Georgia
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Both days. $10-$170.
- Tickets at: paradisegardenfoundation.org