All Photos by Laura Fulmer Photography

Once a month, Redemption Church on Broad Street hopes to bless downtown Augusta in more tangible ways. Either by giveaways or commissioning local artists to create public art in some form in hopes of bringing more #lovedowntown.

When Ben Riche, a pastor at Redemption Church, approached paper illustrator Dawn Cardona about this project, he shared a wordless picture book called “Sidewalk Flowers” by JonArno Lawson. A book about paying attention to the little things, which speaks to Dawn as her work is driven by things often taken for granted or ignored.

“I feel the city itself in this art, this ‘little thing’ that people might not be paying attention to,” said Dawn. “I wanted to bring those downtown that normally would not go there, for one reason or another, by creating a sense of urgency, or need to be in the moment.”

Yesterday, Dawn installed six mini Augusta-inspired installation pieces, hidden in plain sight on Broad Street. These tiny originals are not meant to last, but to encourage people to get outside, be in the moment, and explore the city before Mother Nature finds them too.

When asked if she would be taking preventative measures against people taking her miniature art, Dawn explained that she would leave that up to community, in hopes they would agree to leave the art for everyone to experience. The artwork will be adhered to the walls in a way which will damage them once removed. Dawn says leaving the protection of the artwork up to the community is simply the risk of an experiment on sharing.

“I encourage folks to take photos, share them on social media, and spread the love!” said Dawn. “Who really knows what tomorrow will bring, but if I can inspire just one person to be in the moment with me, I know the artwork will live on in their memories and experience – and that’s enough for me.”

Finders tip: Begin at Redemption Church in the Doris Building at 930 Broad Street, and follow the direction of the flowers…

Also, be sure to check out the fun aDOORe Augusta doors by April King

Dawn M. Cardona is an aspiring Children's book illustrator and freelance artist with an affinity for all things paper. She has been cutting out her intricate and playful illustrations entirely by hand (with a pair of scissors and glue) since 2004. She is a self-taught artist, having earned a "practical" degree, who finally gave in to her itch to make art to bring smiles to faces far and wide. Dawn now lives and works out of her home in South Carolina. 

Follow Dawn on Instagram