Pasaquan, Visionary art compound in Marion County, United States
Pasaquan is a 7-acre compound near Buena Vista, Georgia, with six major structures: a redesigned 1885 farmhouse, painted concrete sculptures, and 4 acres of painted masonry concrete walls. Its two-story painted concrete pavilion has a tiered gray-shingled roof with scalloped edges and a small pyramidal cap, and a square window framed by white and dark blocks. A lower fence-like wall extends to the left, painted with circles, radiating lines, and a panel showing a cross with a sunburst above it, bordered by black sections with yellow dots.
Eddie Owens Martin inherited the house and four acres from his mother in 1950 and moved his fortune-telling business there in 1957 after a dispute with his brother Julius. He built his first wall from local natural materials with help from D. W. Milner, and after ten years began painting the structures with images inspired by personal acquaintances. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 and reopened on October 22, 2016, after restoration by the Kohler Foundation and Columbus State University.
Martin named the site from Spanish and Chinese words he said meant "the past coming together," and founded a religion he called Pasaquoyanism, whose followers are Pasaquoyans. He taught that it stresses a connection to the natural world and the use of hair. He called himself St. EOM, a name he said a spirit gave him.
Pasaquan is owned by Columbus State University and sits about 7 miles east of Buena Vista, Georgia. The 7-acre grounds are open for self-guided walking; paths pass the 1885 farmhouse, six major structures and 4 acres of painted concrete walls. The site reopened on October 22, 2016 after a two-year restoration.
Martin's first decorated fence was built of wood and rotted away; he then turned to concrete, hiring D. W. Milner to help with the first wall. Edwin Stephens supplied the technical construction skills, and after ten years of building Martin began painting the structures with images drawn from people he knew.
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