Summerville, Georgia: Howard Finster's Paradise Garden

Went to visit Paradise on 5/24. The office and shop were closed up, but we were able to do a self-guided tour and visit all of the gardens. A lot of it is still a bit of a shambles, continuing to give worry that the remaining parts may not be rescued in time. The World's Folk Art Chapel remains closed due to unsafe conditions.

A new contemporary building is under construction. It looks like it may become a small exhibit space or an events space (Finster performed many weddings in the chapel and surrounding gardens). The ground is quite boggy in some areas and here and there has an unpleasant septic smell. Still worth a visit and walk through!

As we were leaving the gardens, we noticed that one of the houses sharing a property line with the gardens is a gallery. There is also a large vinyl banner proclaiming that Finster's heirs and descendants strongly object to the Foundation's handling of the gardens.

We saw a man weed-eating the yard at the gallery and flagged him down. As it happened, the fellow was (or claimed to be, anyhow) one of Finster's grandsons. He explained the banner, which seemed to boil down to a theologically driven difference of opinion about the whos and hows of managing the garden in keeping with Finster's vision. The house/gallery itself had once been used as the public entrance to the gardens.

He was kind enough to offer to open up the gallery for us, which he said had not been opened in several years. The soul of hospitality, he showed us around the small information exhibits in the building, pointed out what pieces were Finster's, gifted to him directly, gifted to the gardens, and later items inspired by the gardens. He spent a long time talking with us about parts of the garden he helped build when his grandfather was still building ($1 an hour to help with the bottle house, which he spent on candy in town).

As we were setting out to leave, he also let us know that another house just down the block had been the house where Finster lived, and is called the Vision House. The house is another gallery operated by a different Finster relation, and is open by appointment. While we didn't visit at the right time, we're given the understanding that the outsider art festival held annually in Summerville is worth a visit all its own.

Finster's Paradise Gardens is open, and people are working hard to restore the place. It is well worth the trip. While the chapel is currently closed while they fix it up, there is still plenty to see. You can tell that this place was a huge part of the man's life and it shows the love, dedication and passion he had for what he saw as his life's calling. If you're visiting, contact one of the people running it ahead of time, and they're generally happy to let you in, show you around the place, and tell you about it.

I was thinking of hitting Paradise Gardens this summer, but ran into a small problem. According to their web site, Paradise Gardens is currently closed, and they are looking desperately for assistance and donations to renovate the gardens and the chapel within.

Folk artist Howard Finster has departed, but his work can still be seen at Paradise Gardens, Summerville, GA. While most "outsider" creators are barely clammy when locals bulldoze their misunderstood eyesores, Finster's work should endure -- shouldn't it? Artists and Finster preservationists Grace Kelly and C.M.Laster are concerned that the Reverend's exterior work -- items not enshrined in museums -- are in peril:

Arguably America's most well-known folk artist, Rev. Howard Finster, 84, died at a local hospital Monday, Oct....