Pasafest: first annual music and arts festival expands the legacy of St. EOM with a day of celebration

On Nov. 10, long-time admirers and first-time visitors alike will enter a new phase in the life of Pasaquan, Eddie Owens Martin’s outsider art environment in Buena Vista, Ga., at the first Pasafest, a music and art festival combining the southeast’s best outsider art with some of our areas most interesting music in a one-day, fun-for-the-whole family celebration of all things beautiful and exuberant.

When Eddie Owens Martin returned home to Buena Vista, Ga. to take over his recently deceased mother’s farmhouse in 1957, he embarked on a decades-long project to convert the quaint homestead into Pasaquan. His inspiration for what biographer Tom Patterson calls “a wild and dazzling patch of living, local hypertechnicolor” first came to Eddie in a fever dream. It was 1935. On a visit to Buena Vista, Eddie fell seriously ill. He laid for 12 days in what his family was certain would be his deathbed. Die he did not. Instead, a vision. A figure, with arms “big around as watermelons” and with its long beard parted and tied up into a tower of hair reaching for the sky spoke to Eddie, saying, “go back into the world and follow my spirit.” A second vision gave Eddie a new name, St. EOM, and the name of his new world, Pasaquan, which “[had] to do with the Truth, and with nature, and the earth, and man’s lost rituals.”

After his suicide in 1987, the Pasaquan fell under the stewardship of the Pasaquan Preservation Society, a collective of locals and friends who tried valiantly to maintain the sprawling, elaborate site. For thirty years, PPS oversaw the care of the four acre site, until 2014, when Pasaquan was deeded to the Wisconsin-based Kohler Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving art environments throughout America. This transition allowed a tripartite partnership, between the Pasaquan Preservation Society, the Kohler Foundation and Columbus State University. These three organizations set about the monumental task of restoring Pasaquan to its former glory.

For the visitor today, Pasaquan shimmers under the Georgian sun, its high walls containing a wonderland of outsider art unlike anything else in the world. Restored, Pasaquan has entered a new phase of life, welcoming guests and tour groups, admirers and curiosity seekers, and more than a few who remember having their tealeaves read by St. EOM himself. Following last year’s successful presentation of “Eddie’s Stone Song: Odyssey of the First Pasaquoyan” (composed by James Ogburn, libretto by Carey Scott Wilkerson), Pasafest is the next logical, ecstatic step in the evolving legacy of Eddie’s iconic art environment.

Organized by PPS and CSU to highlight culture in the Southeast, Pasafest features art, music and food curated to reflect Eddie’s unique vision of unity and diversity. Gates will open at 10 a.m. to allow visitors time to explore the site and enjoy the artists market. Locals Butch Anthony and Ralph Frank will be on hand, as well as numerous nationally-recognized folk artists.

At noon the music begins. Charles Fowler, caretaker of Pasaquan, had a big hand in booking music for the festival, and said he was looking for “diversity of sound” when looking for acts, because “Pasaquan is for everyone.” Jontavious Willis has built a strong reputation and following playing the blues in our area, and James Hubbard out of Athens is well-known as the former drummer for band Of Montreal. Charles is also excited about folk singer-songwriter Joseph Mosman, from Athens and now Atlanta-based, whose 2017 release “Winding Rain” received exceptional reviews. Heather Gillis, who some of you may have recently seen at The Loft will play with her band, and Charles is bluntly enthusiastic, saying, “she can melt your face” of her guitar work. Crispin Wah, with Columbus-roots, has been featured on Adult Swim, and Charles says has a “contemporary rock-jazz thing going on,” which is fair, though we should also say the group also has a “melt your face” quality and is a ton of fun live. Savannah-based Rude Dude and Creek Freaks further stretches the auditory experience at Pasafest with a swampy king of King Gizzard style, and Atlanta-based duo Indeedface blends trap and other genres in a uniquely southern, contemporary thing all their own.

In addition to music and art, festival-goers can enjoy fortune tellers, face painting, and hair designs by a ‘cosmic cosmetologist.’ Pasafest people are encouraged to come in costume and to let these vendors spruce up their Pasaquoyan look as we celebrate the life and legacy of one of our area’s most interesting and compelling artistic voices. For the adults, Omaha Brewing Company will be on site with quality craft beer, including the Pasaquan-inspired saison, Viberations. Omaha is also offering camping at the brewery, with a shuttle service to bring people to and from the sites. Space is limited, so hurry now to reserve your spot.

Eddie said that Pasaquan means bringing the past into the future. Pasafest brings the vibrant history of the man and his art into the present and, with fundraising, secures its place in the future. So, Pasaquoyans of all stripes and strides, join your tribe for a day of celebration and camaraderie as we celebrate the life and legacy of a great artist, visionary and spirit. Don’t forget to dress up!

by Tom Ingram