Paradise Gardens

Paradise Gardens is an outdoor art environment in Pennville, in northwest Georgia, built by self-taught artist Howard Finster while he lived on the block between 1961 and 1991. Finster drained low-lying land with canals, then filled it with concrete walkways and walls studded with colored glass, bottles, tiles, bicycle parts and other found objects. The property includes his former houses, studios, a barn, a bicycle repair shop, a meditation chapel, a long covered bridge, and the five-story World's Folk Art Church, which many scholars consider his most important work. After a vision in 1976, Finster devoted himself to sacred art, and Biblical themes run through the grounds. It was listed because of its direct association with Finster, whose paintings and sculptures were shown in major museums and galleries across the United States and internationally, including the Venice Biennale. Today parts of the site serve as museums and a visitor center.