THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS)

Howard Finster, THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS), 1979, assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic, 20 x 6 ⁵⁄₈ x 7 ⁵⁄₈ in. (50.8 x 16.9 x 19.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.245

Artwork Details

Title: THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS)
Artist: Howard Finster
Date: 1979
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
3rd Floor
/
25B
Dimensions: 20 x 6 ⁵⁄₈ x 7 ⁵⁄₈ in. (50.8 x 16.9 x 19.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: television parts
glass
plastic
metal
Mediums Description: assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic
Classifications: Sculpture
Assemblage
Subjects: Architecture — industry — power plant
Allegory — religion — salvation
Object Number: 1986.65.245
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.245

Artwork Description

Howard Finster wanted to celebrate "all the inventions of mankind" in his art (Liza Kirwin, "The Reverend Howard Finster," American Art, Summer 2002). He created Paradise Garden next to his home in Pennville, Georgia, an environmental sculpture that shows portraits of such greats as Henry Ford, Leonardo da Vinci, and George Washington amid towering constructions of television parts and bicycle frames. Finster often combined modern technology with messages from God, and in this piece he inscribed lines from his sermons, including "Jesus is coming back" and "Get ready to meet God."