LaGrange Art Museum shows off internationally acclaimed regional artist Eddie Owens Martin in a 10-month exhibit.
Filled with historic white-columned antebellum homes and its original downtown square largely intact, LaGrange, Georgia, is known for its old charm but also bursts with a fresh art scene. Just an hour south of Atlanta, near the Alabama border and right off I-85, the arts bloom as widely as the magnolias in this Southern cultural treasure.
Through August 2017, the LaGrange Art Museum will be home to the “In The Land of Pasaquan” exhibit. Pasaquan consists of seven acres of artwork created by the late Eddie Owens Martin, or St. EOM as he preferred to be called. Martin’s mother gave him a portion of the land that he then used as his personal canvas. This psychedelic and quirky site is located roughly six miles east of Buena Vista and one hour from LaGrange. Martin’s Pasaquan features six major structures, mandala murals and 900 feet of painted decorative masonry walls. Pasaquan’s design fuses Esoamerican, African and Native American cultural and religious symbols. The colorful sprawling site is listed on the National Register of Historic places and is considered one of the most important visionary art environments in America.
This spring and summer, the spirit of Pasaquan will live inside the LaGrange Art Museum. The museum’s Pasaquan exhibit will include pen and ink drawings and watercolors, as well as crafts, costumes, writings, photographs and other materials relating to Martin’s life and work. During his life, Martin received little artistic recognition. He was featured only once, along with other Georgia artists, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
However, his 1986 death brought Martin much deserved fame. The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. have acquired the eccentric artist’s works. Now, the LaGrange Art Museum will provide safe harbor to Martin’s pieces that can only be seen during this one-of-a-kind exhibit.
While in LaGrange, take advantage of the many other art venues. Take a stroll in Lafayette Square and be sure to stop by the Cochran Gallery. Wes and Missy Cochran rotate their impressive 700-plus piece assemblage, complete with the world’s largest collection of Andy Warhol’s signature silkscreens, while also showcasing local, regional and national artists. Or catch a musical, play or ballet at the Lafayette Society for Performing Arts.
Brimming with art and steeped in history, LaGrange is a lovely small town packed with big city culture–a perfect adventure for any art enthusiast.
Photos courtesy of LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce.
