The Paradise Garden Foundation is set to open a new photography exhibition, “35 Years at Paradise Garden,” featuring the work of photographer Mikel Yeakle, on view March 7 through May 24, 2026.

The exhibit brings together more than three decades of Yeakle’s photographic engagement with Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden, the historic four-acre folk art environment located in the Pennville community just north of Summerville. Yeakle first visited the site in the late 1980s and created his earliest photographs there in 1989, returning repeatedly over the years to build an ongoing relationship with the space.

Rather than documenting a single moment in time, the exhibition presents what organizers describe as a long-form photographic meditation—shaped by observation, familiarity, and the passage of time. Many of the works on display are composite images, created by digitally layering photographs made across different visits and years into unified compositions. The result, according to the foundation, is a balance of documentation and interpretation—images meant to feel effortless, while crafted with deliberate restraint.

“Like Howard Finster’s own practice, built from found materials and layered messages, Mikel Yeakle’s photographs embody a dialogue between reality and imagination,” said Davia Weatherill, Executive Director of Paradise Garden Foundation. “They honor Paradise Garden as it exists while recognizing that the site continues to invite reinterpretation.”

Yeakle, originally from Indiana and a graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, has been active in the southern photography community for years, including involvement with the Atlanta Photography Group and the Little River Arts Council in Mentone, Alabama.

An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, March 7 at 2:30 PM, featuring light refreshments and an artist talk with Yeakle. The exhibition is included with regular admission to Paradise Garden and will remain on display through May 24, 2026.