Raised
a
Southern
Baptist
in
rural
Georgia,
Durwood
Pepper
grew
up
listening
to
how
being
gay
is
evil,
as
interpreted
to
him
through
Bible
scriptures.
Now
an
Episcopalian
living
with
his
partner,
Jim
Taflinger,
in
Gainesville,
Ga.,
Pepper
is
a
meat
manager
at
a
grocery
store
by
day
and
a
folk
artist
in
his
free
time.
He
doesn’t
shy
away
from
sometimes
incorporating
the
same
religious
themes
that
once
denounced
who
he
is
into
his
art.
His
work
includes
angels
made
from
metal
cans
and
crosses
made
from
tin.
“I
do
a
lot
of
religious
pieces
—
from
pieces
about
Lent
to
angels
and
devils,”
Pepper
says.
“It’s
the
way
you’re
brought
up,
but
I
know
Jesus
doesn’t
hate
me.”
Pepper,
46,
says
he
is
one
of
only
a
few
openly
gay
folk
artists.
He
plans
to
exhibit
his
religious,
political,
and
just
plain
fun
art
pieces
at
the
annual
Folk
Fest.
The
event
takes
place
Aug.
15-17
at
the
North
Atlanta
Trade
Center
in
Gwinnett
County.
“I
like
[folk]
art
because
it’s
more
personal,”
he
says.
“It
speaks
to
you.”
Pepper
also
enjoys
making
strong
political
statements
through
his
work,
including
a
6-foot
version
of
President
George
W.
Bush
standing
in
the
waters
of
Hurricane
Katrina.
The
faces
of
dead
U.S.
soldiers
detail
the
president’s
face.
“They
wouldn’t
let
me
show
the
Bush
one
here
[at
a
Gainesville
art
show]
—
they’re
more
Republican
over
here,”
he
says.
PEPPER
WAS
A
LONGTIME
FRIEND
of
folk
master
R.A.
Miller,
an
ordained
minister
who
was
known
for,
among
other
pieces,
his
“Blow
Oskar”
tin
cutouts
shaped
like
Uncle
Sam
and
painted
red,
white
and
blue.
Pepper
learned
from
Miller
how
to
cut
tin
—
especially
chicken
house
tin
—
and
other
found
objects,
hand
paint
the
one-time
junk
and
create
one-of-a-kind
pieces
of
art.
“We
would
help
take
care
of
him,
help
him
out,”
Pepper
says
of
Miller,
who
died
in
2006
at
the
age
of
93.
Taflinger,
Pepper’s
partner
of
five
years,
remembers
taking
Miller
to
many
Folk
Fests,
even
pushing
him
in
a
wheelchair
to
several
fests
before
he
died.
“I’ve
been
able
to
meet
artists,
potters
—
it’s
a
different
culture,”
says
Taflinger,
who
lived
in
Atlanta
for
more
than
20
years
before
moving
to
Gainesville
five
years
ago.
“I
enjoy
the
art.
I
think
people
who
are
drawn
to
folk
art
are
more
liberal,
more
fun,
more
out-of-the
box.”
Steve
Slotin,
who
started
Folk
Fest
with
his
wife,
Amy,
15
years
ago,
says
folk
art
definitely
attracts
people
who
think
“outside
the
box.”
To
him,
that
means
many
folk
artists,
collectors
and
dealers
are
gay.
And
Jewish.
“It
takes
a
certain
kind
of
collector
to
collect
folk
art,”
says
Slotin,
who
is
Jewish.
“They
have
to
be
forward
thinking,
and
I
find
many
of
them
are
from
the
gay
or
Jewish
community.
Fifteen
years
ago,
this
wasn’t
considered
real
art.
But
these
people
[gays,
Jews]
are
the
ones
who
started
collecting
the
art,
giving
the
artists
shows.
“I
don’t
know
what
it
is
about
those
two
groups,
but
they
like
to
leave
the
mainstream
thinking.
The
artists
are
so
out
there
and
I
think
people
relate
to
that,”
he
says.
WHEN
SLOTIN
STARTED
FOLK
FEST,
he
booked
the
event
at
the
Cobb
Galleria.
That
was
also
the
same
year
the
Cobb
County
Commission
voted
to
pass
a
resolution
stating
homosexuality
did
not
fit
in
with
“community
standards.”
Slotin,
unhappy
with
the
1993
resolution,
knew
he
had
to
do
something.
He
talked
to
his
brother
Steve,
a
former
state
senator
for
intown
Atlanta
neighborhoods,
and
asked
him
what
he
should
do.
His
brother
told
Slotin
to
take
a
stand.
Slotin
moved
the
event
out
of
Cobb
County.
“Not
only
were
we
able
to
make
a
small
protest
against
a
very
unjust
and
hateful
resolution,
but
many
of
our
best
customers
and
friends
we
have
made
along
this
15-year
journey
are
gay,”
he
says.
“The
support
we
got
for
doing
that
was
immense.”
Some
6,000
people
attended
that
first
event.
This
year,
more
than
12,000
people
are
expected
to
look
over
the
art
of
more
than
100
exhibitors.
For
Robin
Blan,
48,
and
Tracey
Burnette,
51,
partners
and
owners
of
Around
Back
at
Rocky’s
Place
in
Dawsonville,
Ga.,
folk
art
is
a
love
they
both
share
—
from
the
paintings
of
masters
such
as
Howard
Finster
to
“whirligigs”
made
by
local
artists.
The
duo,
both
school
teachers,
has
attended
Folk
Fest
for
about
seven
years.
They
say
that
they
have
“many”
gay
customers,
especially
gay
men.
“We
have
a
strong,
regular
clientele
who
like
to
collect
the
Meaders
...
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