Restoring Howard Finster's Paradise Garden

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Photos: A look at the restoration process of Georgia artist Howard Finster's Paradise Garden in Chattooga County, Ga. May 2013.

In this undated AJC file photo, Roy Finster, Alan Wilson, Michael Finster and self-taught Georgia artist Howard Finster (foreground) stroll the grounds at Paradise Gardens, the Summerville home and artistic creation of Howard Finster. A sign Howard Finster hand-lettered that once greeted Paradise Garden visitors made his mission clear: “I took the pieces you threw away — put them togather (sic) night and day. Washed by rain, dried by sun, a million pieces all in one.” - Text by Howard Pousner, AJC

Crews install air conditioning ductwork in the new welcome center/museum at famed Georgia artist Howard Finster's Paradise Garden, May 14, 2013.

Sunshine shimmers off walkways filled with mirrors, pottery and whatever else Finster used as decorative elements.

Finster used makeshift carpentry, often recycled lumber, to help support the World's Folk Art Chapel at Paradise Garden. While the first phase of Paradise Garden restoration has included adding interior structural supports to keep its fanciful cupola from collapsing, the church, with its chipped-paint exterior and rotting wood, otherwise remains to be addressed later. - Text by Phil Skinner and Howard Pousner, AJC

Paradise Garden Executive Director Jordan Poole points out photos and mementos that famed artist Howard Finster put up in the spiral staircase of the World's Folk Art Chapel on his property in Summerville, Georgia.

Donnie Davis helps restore the "Rabbit Hutch" area of the property.

A window wall at the visitor center’s entrance frames a view of the garden’s best known landmark, the wedding cake-shaped structure that Finster dubbed the World’s Folk Art Church. More work remains for the church structure itself.

An old rusting refrigerator covered in Howard Finster's artwork sits in Paradise Garden.

“The biggest missing feature of the garden is Howard, not the art,” foundation executive director Jordan Poole said. “People who visited back in the day knew what to expect, that this man was there making art. Now, after all these years, it’s important to tell a new generation what transpired here.” - Text by Howard Pousner, AJC

Forms that Finster used to create his artwork sit in a workshop at Paradise Garden.

Ten dumpsters — overflowing with carefully parsed stuff that Finster had found, or his faithful had brought to him, or that others stored after his death — have been hauled away. But the important materials vital to Finster's artistic creation, such as these forms, remain. -- Text by Howard Pousner, AJC

A photo of Finster with his sixth grade class rests in the Rolling Chair Ramp, which has been steadied with buried wooden cross-braces. - Text by Phil Skinner and Howard Pousner, AJC

Larry Schlachter looks at a space in downtown Summerville that will help tell visitors about famed artist Howard Finster and his nearby Paradise Garden. The facility is targeted for an August grand opening. - Text by Phil Skinner and Howard Pousner, AJC

Schlachter stands next to Howard Finster's portrait of a young Abraham Lincoln in his Folk America gallery in Summerville. The annual Finster Fest art and music celebration attracts thousands to the northwest Georgia town.

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In this undated AJC file photo, Roy Finster, Alan Wilson, Michael Finster and self-taught Georgia artist Howard Finster (foreground) stroll the grounds at Paradise Gardens, the Summerville home and artistic creation of Howard Finster. A sign Howard Finster hand-lettered that once greeted Paradise Garden visitors made his mission clear: “I took the pieces you threw away — put them togather (sic) night and day. Washed by rain, dried by sun, a million pieces all in one.” - Text by Howard Pousner, AJC

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