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Back To The Garden For This Year’s Finster Fest

WUTC

Published October 10, 2021 at 12:45 PM EDT

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Paradise Garden

Howard Finster was a folk artist and preacher who lived and worked at his own studio - Paradise Garden - in Summerville, Georgia - about an hour south of Chattanooga.

He found a few moments of pop culture fame, only a few years before the dawn of the Internet in everyday life.

Go on YouTube today - and there he is from decades ago on “The Tonight Show,” chatting amiably with Johnny Carson.

Howard’s Paradise Garden intrigued Athens rock band REM, so the group featured his studio in the music video for their 1980’s song “Radio Free Europe.”

And then, Howard painted cover art for REM’s next album, “Reckoning.”

Howard Finster died twenty years ago - but his spirit lives on at Paradise Garden, which will host the annual Finster Fest on Saturday and Sunday.

Tina Cox is executive director of Paradise Garden.

Howard Pousner is a board member of the Paradise Garden Foundation.

Cameron Cook is the operation director at Paradise Garden.

Paradise Garden Foundation