Hidden Man

Howard Finster was a very fascinating Georgian - a minister, visual artist and visionary who died in 2001, but not before having an outsized impact on our culture as a result of his unique confluence of pursuits.

These and more are explored in a new play that will have its world premiere at UGA beginning Feb. 23.

University of Georgia Theatre, in collaboration with Atlanta's 7 Stages Theatre, will present the world premiere of "Hidden Man" by playwright Pamela Turner based on research by Russell Blackmon. "Hidden Man" will be performed Feb. 23-25 and 29 and March 1-3 at 8 p.m. and on March 4 at 2:30 p.m. in the Cellar Theatre of the Fine Arts Building.

In conjunction with the production, the Georgia Museum of Art will present a lecture titled "Will the Real Howard Finster Come on Down?" given by Carol Crown, a professor of art history at the University of Memphis. The lecture will take place in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. Crown will discuss the values and religious beliefs embraced in approximately 46,000 creative and complex works of art by backwoods country preacher Finster.

Following the UGA performances, the "Hidden Man" production will move to 7 Stages in Atlanta's Little Five Points for a three-week run.

The entire cast and crew will join the 7 Stages production in Atlanat. Congratulations to the students in the department of theatre and film studies for their hard work and on the opportunity to participate in what will surely be a great theatre experience for all.

One added connection I just learned about (thanks, Dina), is the Finster papers that will be housed in the Hargrett rare Book and Manuscript Library at UGA. More news about the future of the Paradise garden property, here.

Image: Howard Finster (American, 1916-2001), "Howard Goes from Jackass Speed to the Speed of a Jet with Peter Paul," 1989. Oil on board, 67 1/2 x 48 inches. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; Gift of Carl and Marian Mullis in honor of William U. Eiland. GMOA