PASAQUAN

“You’re gonna be the start of somethin’ new, and you’ll call yourself ‘Saint EOM,’ and you’ll be a Pasaquoyan - the first one in the world.”

- St. EOM

Eddie Owens Martin, a self-taught Southern artist, drew inspiration from many colorful cultures to develop the 7-acre, internationally recognized visionary art environment known as Pasaquan.

Martin’s artistic journey started at age 14 when he left his hometown of Buena Vista, Georgia, to embark on a hitchhiking adventure to Atlanta and Washington, D.C., before settling in New York. In the Big Apple, he worked as a street hustler, bartender, gambler and drag queen. He even gave fortunetelling a try at age 37.

In 1957, after the death of his mother, Martin came home to Georgia and continued his fortunetelling flair for pay. Donning ravishing robes and feathered headdresses, Eddie moved into his mother's old farmhouse and used his oracle occupation to help fund his vision of Pasaquan.

Martin also changed his name to St. EOM (pronounced Ohm) and became the first Pasaquoyan. He continued to work on the art environment for 30 years, creating six major structures, mandala murals and more than 900 feet of elaborately painted masonry walls.

Pasaquan lavishly fuses African, pre-Columbian Mexico and Native American cultural and religious symbols and designs, along with motifs inspired by Edward Churchward’s books about “The Lost Continent of MU.”

After a few years of declining health, St. EOM committed suicide in 1986. Pasaquan began to fade — literally and figuratively. For 30 years, the Pasaquan Preservation Society (PPS) worked tirelessly to preserve the site. During 2014, philanthropic organization Kohler Foundation Inc., PPS and Columbus State University partnered to bring the visionary art site back to life.