Joe Minter’s African Village in America, Birmingham AL
Wade Wharton was practically family, and I miss him every day. Just getting to be around the artist-salon that included him, John Farrer, Bill Wilson, Tat Bailey, and others was something truly rare, magical, and irreplaceable. I’m grateful too for my family’s relationship with the Minters, taking pics of Joe and his creations which I’m still lucky to do, and the memories of all the hours spent on the front porch with his wife Hilda. These relationships are why this work matters to me the way it does.
Below are organizations and individuals who continue the vital work of cataloguing and preserving these artists and their environments, like Larry, Kelly, Henk, and Fred listed below — people I’m honored to know and occasionally collaborate.
1/ SPACES Archives — this is a great Kohler org that I’ve worked with and have added to their collection as they/Kohler help with preservation. Nice.
2/ Detour Art — my friend Kelly Ludwig’s project. Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations was a Kansas City PBS program, and Kelly’s Detour Art contintues the visits.
3/ Another friend, Larry Harris, publishes Narrow Larry’s World of the Outstanding which is itself outstanding.
4/ Fred Scruton and his wife Cheryl are friends who I get to see once a year on their journey through the south; his incredible images are here.
5/ And Henk van Es has Outsider Art Environments Europe which is *beyond*.
Be sure to also visit the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Raw Vision Magazine.
DeepFriedKudzu has images of many of my visits. Not all of them are listed below, but use the search field at the main page of DFK if you’re looking for something in particular. xoxo!
Alabama:
I’m starting with my beloved, late Wade Wharton. His art environment is still somewhat intact but on private property and not to be entered by the public; the Huntsville Botanical Garden has some of his pieces on view, including the blue bottle tree he made shortly before his passing and is believed to possibly be the largest in the United States.
Joe Minter’s African Village in America, Birmingham
Ave Maria Grotto, Cullman
Tom Hendrix, Teh-lah-nay’s Wall, Florence
Jim Bird’s Farm, Forkland
W.C. Rice Cross Garden, Prattville
Butch Anthony’s Museum of Wonder, Seale
California:
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, Bryman
Georgia:
Pasaquan, Buena Vista
Laura Pope’s Home and Garden, Ochlocknee
Howard Finster, Paradise Garden, Summerville
Louisiana:
Abita Mystery House, Abita Springs
Kenny Hill Sculpture Garden, Chauvin
Dr. Charles Smith, Hammond
Michigan:
The Heidelberg Project, Detroit
Mississippi:
L.V. Hull’s Home, Kosciusko
Palestine Gardens, Lucedale
Margaret’s Grocery, Vicksburg
Ohio:
Hartman Rock Garden, Springfield
Pennsylvania:
Isaiah Zagar, Philadelphia
Tennessee:
Billy Tripp, The Minefield, Brownsville
Floyd “Junior” Banks, Greenback
Crystal Shrine Grotto, Memphis
E.T. Wickham Stone Park, Palmyra
Texas:
Cathedral of Junk, Austin
SmutPutt Heaven, Austin
Beer Can House, Houston
Utah:
Gilgal Sculpture Garden, Salt Lake City
Update March 31, 2026 — just starting to build out this directory page so will update more very soon. xoxo