From PASSION to PURPOSE

Northwest Georgia boasts many regional attractions made possible by the gift of philanthropy. Here are five local gifts that keep on giving.

Booth Western Art Museum

501 Museum Drive Cartersville (770) 387-1300

The Booth Western Art Museum was started by a family who call Cartersville home and have been Western art collectors for many years. It was their wish to share their art with the community, particularly young people who might not otherwise be exposed to art.

The Museum was named for Sam Booth, a good friend and mentor to the founders of the Museum. Today, the fabulous Booth Western Art Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000-square-foot museum that tells America’s story through contemporary Western artwork, presidential portraits and letters, Civil War art, more than 200 Native American artifacts, and so much more. It is the second largest art museum in the state and houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country.

The Booth’s permanent collection covers more than a dozen galleries, showcasing legendary artists such as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell to contemporary masters Howard Terpning and Andy Warhol. Unique to the Booth, the Millar Presidential Gallery displays a portrait and original hand-signed letter from each U.S. President, George Washington through Donald Trump. Supplementing the permanent collection are several temporary galleries. The Museum operates under Georgia Museums, Inc., which also includes Tellus Science Museum, Bartow History Museum and, coming soon, Savoy Automobile Museum.

Learn more about the beautiful Booth at boothmuseum.org.

A structure at Paradise Garden

Finster’s Paradise Garden

200 N Lewis Street Summerville (706) 808-0800

World-renowned folk artist and Baptist Minister, Howard Finster, began creating Paradise Garden in 1951, though fame didn’t find him until 1975, when an Atlanta television station ran a story that got a lot of attention. Esquire magazine dubbed his museum, a “Paradise Garden.” He made his first exhibition appearance in 1976 and painted four paintings for the Library of Congress in 1977. He was also selected to be part of the Venice Biennale in 1984.

Finster gained momentum after his work with the rock band R.E.M., who filmed the video for the group’s debut single “Radio Free Europe” in Finster’s Paradise Garden in 1983. Lead singer, Michael Stipe and Finster collaborated on a painting for the cover of their second album titled, “Reckoning.”

The garden features a selection of Finster’s outsider art—sculpture and paintings—drawing tourists from around the world. Concrete structures feature bits and pieces Finster saved from a junk yard. Walkways are embellished with ceramic shards, marbles, tools, and other oddities.

His outdoor art projects fell into disrepair two decades ago before a small group of art lovers and students began fundraising to save Paradise Garden. They created a gallery and established a Bed and Breakfast facility on the premises to generate perpetual income. Today, the attraction welcomes thousands of visitors. The annual folk art festival, Finster Fest, showcases an array of gifted folk artists including Missionary Mary Proctor, Peter Loose, Deb “Miz Thang” Garner, and Jim Shores.

Learn more about Howard Finster and Paradise Garden at paradisegardenfoundation.org.

Burr Performing Arts Park

Burr Performing Arts Park

101 S Hamilton Street Dalton (706) 278-3332 Facebook: @BurrPark

Jeanne Burr was in her nineties when she and her son, Jeff, scheduled a meeting at the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia to discuss her desire “to do something big for the community she loved so dearly.”

After that 2016 discussion, the staff proposed building a performing arts park in Downtown Dalton.

“That’s how it started — with a charitable inclination and an idea,” remembers David Aft, President of the Foundation and personal friend to the late, Jeanne Burr. “We opened Burr Performing Arts Park in the spring of 2018 at the site of the old Lee Printing building.”

Burr’s vision was that the park bearing her name would be a place the people of Dalton and the surrounding areas could come together and celebrate community, friendship and, most of all, the performing arts.

“Mom was looking for a project that would change things,” Jeff Burr says. “She didn’t just want to write a check and walk away, she wanted this to be something special — a legacy of sorts.”

Burr took an active role in the grand opening of the park. She sat under a tent canopy and welcomed visitors. Young and old stepped under the canopy to formally thank Burr for her generaous gift to the city.

Since then, Burr Park has become the hub of Downtown Dalton, hosting thousands with its performances and atmosphere.

The Foundation is currently working with the City of Dalton to build bathrooms and a concession area for the park.

“The park is exactly what Jeanne Burr had in mind,” said Aft. “It’s just one example of how we can help philanthropists turn their dreams into realities.”

Lula Lake Land Trust

Lula Lake Land Trust

5000 Lula Lake Rd Lookout Mountain ​(706) 820-0520

The Lula Lake Land Trust was established by the will of Robert M. Davenport in January of 1994 to protect and preserve the natural beauty and abundant resources within the Rock Creek watershed for present and future generations.

In 1958, Davenport began to acquire pieces of property that would later form the core of the land trust project. These original acquisitions included two exquisite natural features — Lula Lake and Lula Falls.

Mining, clear-cut timber harvests, garbage dumping and unrestricted public access had left much of the surrounding land denuded of its beauty and apparent value, giving Davenport the opportunity to quietly amass several hundred acres throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Once closed to public access in the early 1980s, he began rejuvenating the land by cleaning up the dump sites and replanting timbered areas.

Davenport was passionate about long-term goals for Lula Lake, such as preserving the property and conducting biological inventories to identify any rare or unique plants and animals. By the time of his death in 1994, Davenport had acquired over 1,200 acres surrounding Lula Lake. Since then, the Land Trust has increased protection within the watershed to over 8,000 acres.

Admission to the property is limited. Visit the website to schedule a hiking adventure to the glorious falls.

Read more at lulalake.org.

Harris Arts Center

Harris Arts Center

212 S Wall Street Calhoun (706) 629-2599

In 1997, the Calhoun Gordon Arts Council undertook the daunting task of renovating Downtown Calhoun’s old Rooker Hotel, circa 1935, which had become a vacant eyesore.The project had three goals:

• To save the Rooker, a building with historical significance and beauty,

• To provide both a permanent home for the Arts Council and a community center dedicated to the arts, and

• To reignite in saving, preserving, and investing in downtown Calhoun

Overwhelming support from local businesses and corporations, coupled with generous donations from individuals, the Harris Foundation, and the Ratner Foundation, made the dream a reality.

In January 2000, the 10,000-square-foot Harris Arts Center opened, including a visual arts gallery, dance studio, art studio, classrooms, music practice rooms, and the Roland Hayes Museum on the main floor.

In 2004, a 200-seat theater, additional offices and restrooms, an elevator, two galleries, and a lobby were added. Supporters raised over $2 million for these projects.

Today, HAC is a showpiece in Downtown Calhoun and hosts an eclectic collection of art as well as several community events including the annual Festival of Trees and the String Band Festival and Fiddlers Convention.

See what's coming up at the Harris Arts Center by visiting harrisartscenter.com.