Gallery in Rabun County To Open “Finster Forward” Exhibit

The art exhibition “Finster Forward: Art by Howard Finster and the Finster Fest Artists He Inspires” opens Saturday, July 20, with a 5:30-8pm meet-the-artists reception open to the public at Main Street Gallery in Clayton.

After its record success over Memorial weekend at Paradise Garden in the Northwest Georgia town of Summerville, drawing 2,145 guests over two days, Finster Fest is heading indoors for an exhibition in Northeast Georgia at one the Southeast’s mainstay folk art galleries. Mixing folk art with fine art, crafts and more, Main Street Gallery has operated in historic downtown Clayton in since 1982. Dogwoods, a neighboring home design shop, will show art and participate in the free July 20 opening reception as well. The exhibit will continue through August 21.

In addition to pieces for sale by Howard Finster (from the collection of Larry and Jane Schlachter of Summerville’s Folk America gallery), “Finster Foward” will include works by 22 Finster Fest artists inspired by Howard in different ways:
From Georgia: Kimberly Dawn Crowder, Donnie Davis, Fawne DeRosia, Charlie Dingler, Michele Humphrey, Lee Laney, Eric Legge, Peter Loose, Leonard McEwan, Mary Pousner, Kip Ramey, Kristin Repolge, Celena Schoen, Jim Shores, Suzy Sue Smith
Alabama: Brian Bohanan
Florida: Missionary Mary Proctor
Kentucky: C.M. and Grace Kelly Laster
Louisiana: Marshall Blevins
North Carolina: Randy Tobias
Wyoming: Jim Kopp

“Finster Forward” is curated by Howard Pousner, the longtime Atlanta arts writer and editor who has organized the Finster Fest artist market since 2017. Howard also is 2019 chair of the nonprofit Paradise Garden Foundation, which operates and works to restore Howard Finster’s 2-acre-plus folk art environment.

Main Street Gallery is located at 51 N. Main St., Clayton, GA.
Information: 706.782.2440, www.mainstreetgallery.net