Howard Finster exhibit ‘Man of Visions’ opening at Albany Musuem of Art

ALBANY — In many ways, art is the word Thursday at the Albany Museum of Art.

Words figure prominently in the folk art pieces that comprise the museum’s exhibit “Man of Visions: The Inspired Works of the Reverend Howard Finster,” which opens with a reception at 6 p.m. An hour later, the college and high school winners of the museum’s 2nd annual “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words” contest will be announced.

Katie Dillard, AMA curator of collections and exhibits, said the Finster exhibit marks the centennial of the birthday of the North Georgia Baptist minister, who died in 2001 after producing more than 46,000 works of art after he began producing artwork in the year of the U.S. bicentennial.

“2016 is the centennial year of his birth,” Dillard said. “We’re celebrating that. We’re one of the few museums in the nation doing something.”

The 50-piece exhibit includes works by Finster from the collections of the Georgia Museum of Art, Billy and Wendy Mathis of Lee County, and John Denton of Hiawassee, who knew Finster. Dillard said Finster’s work can be found in museum and private art collections throughout the Southeast.

“We was a self-taught artist,” Dillard said, “A folk artist or an outsider artist, as they’re also known.”

Called to the ministry when he was 16, Finster had a vision in which he said God told him he was supposed to produce art.

“He had a very strong religious background,” Dillard said. “He had a vision in 1976 telling him to paint sacred art.”

She said Finster, known as the “Andy Warhol of the South,” said he was called to create 5,000 works, which he completed by 1985. He became extremely prolific, ending up with more than 46,000 pieces, including 1,000 that he created in a four-month period of 1992. Some ended up reaching popular culture in an unusual way — as album art of REM and Talking Heads.

She said one of the reasons Finster turned to art was he felt his ministry was not reaching enough people. Through his artwork, his thoughts and ideas continue to reach people.

After Thursday evening’s opening reception, “Man of Visions” will be on exhibit through Feb. 18 at the museum at 311 Meadowlark Drive off Gillionville Road. The exhibit is being sponsored by the walter and Frances Bunzl Foundation. The Bunzl Foundation, Steve and Bronwyn Hinton, and Margaret Watts also sponsored the prize money for the essay competition.

AMA officials at 7 p.m. Thursday will announce the winners of that “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” essay contest. Three winners and two honorable mentions will be awarded in both the high school and college divisions in the second annual competition.

Essayists were asked to visit the museum and choose one of six works to write about. The choices were two fairy tale paintings by Katherine Ace, a pair of French Empire period candelabras, a French porcelain vase, a mural of turkeys by Athos Menaboni and a portrait of King David by an unknown Ethiopian artist.