Pasaquan festival to be hosted in Macon for first time

A taste of Pasaquan comes to Macon Saturday when the Pasaquan Poets & Authors Festival hits the Museum of Arts and Sciences amphitheater.

Organizers say the free noon to 7 p.m. event is the perfect occasion to enjoy a literary afternoon — with a few visual and musical artists thrown in — and learn more about the highly-regarded west Georgia art compound.

“This is going to be a great day with such a long list of outstanding poets, writers and artists participating,” said Macon’s John Charles Griffin, an event organizer and participating poet/spoken-word artist. His fifth and latest book of poems is titled Cattywampus.

What started five years ago as a two- or three-hour poetry reading at Pasaquan has now become an all-day literary festival that Griffin said he is honored to help bring to Macon.

A member of the Pasaquan Preservation Society board of directors, Griffin said he’s glad to help bring not only a day of poetry, art and music to Macon but an opportunity to “make people fully aware of Pasaquan and what it’s about.”

“We’re going to have vast exposure for Pasaquan so that people who’ve never heard of it can hear and those who have heard of it but don’t really know what it’s about can find out,” he said. “As well as getting to hear what poets and others have to say, we’ll have programs, rack cards and other information available. Pasaquan is out of the way, over near Buena Vista, Georgia, east of Columbus, so moving the festival to Macon in the center of the state will make it much more accessible.”

Pasaquan is a restored, seven-acre visionary art compound created by artist Eddie Owen Martin over a period of three decades beginning in 1957. Also known as St. EOM — pronounced “Om,” I’m told — the site blends global spiritual motifs into an immersive, psychedelic folk-art environment in a fusion of pre-Columbian, African, Native American and Asian influences. It reveals Martin’s vision of a future utopia where humans live in harmony with nature and spiritual forces.

Falling into decline after Martin died in 1986, Pasaquan came under the stewardship of interested parties such as the preservation society, with major restoration funding coming from the Kohler Foundation. Columbus State University operates the fully-restored site, which opened to the public in 2016.

Pasaquan is seen as a unique expression of a single artist’s attempt to shape architecture, landscape and myth into an integrated work. 

In 2016, CNN counted Pasaquan as one of 16 intriguing things to see and do in the U.S. In 2008, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its artistic and historic significance.

Saturday’s list of more than two dozen scheduled poets, writers and others is impressive, starting with an acoustic music set by Matt McMillan at noon. Of course, it’s impossible to mention everyone, but one notable, aside from Griffin, includes longtime chronicler of the Georgia scene Tom Patterson, who authored “St. EOM in the Land of Pasaquan” and the tale of another Georgia compound artist, “Howard Finster: Stranger from Another World.” He also authored “Contemporary Folk Art: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum,” and his writings have appeared in “ARTnews,” “afterimage,” “American Craft,” “Aperture,” “Art Papers,” “BOMB,” “Folk Art,” “New Art Examiner,” “Public Art Review” and “Raw Vision.”

On the visual art side, Macon’s John “Johnny Mo” Mollica will be on hand, as will famed album cover artist Flournoy Holmes, who created The Allman Brothers Band’s “Eat a Peach” album art inside and out, as well as work for the Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sea Level, Hank Williams Jr., Kansas and many more. His mushroom images are iconic.

To drop just a few more names appearing Saturday, you’ll see or hear from Kodak Harrison, Darryl Rhoades, Gordon Johnston, Rupert Fike, Michael Pierce and Mamie Pound.

All have some connection to Pasaquan.

In addition to amphitheater activities, Griffin said the museum will feature a pop-up exhibit inside on Pasaquan.

Located at 238 Eddie Martin Road, Buena Vista, Pasaquan’s regular hours are Friday–Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with suggested contributions of $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for students. It is closed in July and December and on federal holidays.

For more on Pasaquan, visit columbusstate.edu/pasaquan.

More on art in Macon

While the Pasaquan Poets & Authors Festival is new to Macon, there’s a local arts mainstay this weekend — The 567 Center for Renewal’s Great Art Hunt.

Organizers encourage you to explore downtown and discover its art treasures in a fun way, whether as a team or an individual. The 567’s Melissa Macker said the art hunt is for everyone, from downtown residents to elsewhere around the city or even first-time visitors. Participants will receive a map and clues to help find the art in this art-discovery scavenger hunt for outdoor sculptures and murals. 

Along the way, take photos to verify art finds and save memories. You might even find art to take home or end up winning prizes, like a weekend at Hotel 45, art classes at The 567, original artwork by Joe Adams and more.

The hunt is Saturday and Sunday. Learn more at the567center.org or call (478) 238-6051.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.