Hundreds of local members of our community have been painting rocks and hiding them for others to find for almost a decade. They release their artwork into the universe simply in hopes of making those who receive them happy.
Kim Kuhn, a local photographer, has created a project centered around this movement.
In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, this project depicting "local Easter bunnies," as Kim Kuhn calls them, captures those that venture into nature and leave behind small pieces of their artwork. Within Volusia County, local kindness rockers are part of a much bigger movement. While these kindness rocks are hidden in parks across the nation as a whole, this project specifically focuses on Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens in Port Orange.
Sugar Mill Gardens itself is an act of love; run completely by volunteers, the park is lush and vibrant, full of mystery and diversity. It is the perfect place for an unspoken scavenger hunt.
Kim Kuhn, while walking through Sugar Mill Gardens with her son, fell in love with the idea of finding small pieces of art, left behind by others. She decided to use her own artwork to highlight those that participate.
"This work is a series of diptychs pairing portraiture and still life photographs to represent individuals that paint and hide rocks at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens, in Port Orange, Florida. A space that’s over 200-year-old history includes a cane sugar plantation and a dinosaur themed amusement park called Bongoland. In 1985, the 10 acre property transformed into a community botanical garden and is now maintained solely by volunteers. Over the last 7 years, “rockers” have independently hidden their small art pieces throughout the grounds for visitors to discover.
I am fascinated and moved by this act and the idea that they are real Easter bunnies within our community. When one enters the garden and could be feeling lost, these artists- of all ages, from all walks of life- could potentially be vessels for the message or sign that those wandering through are seeking out. The gardens are not only “alive” in the sense that the vegetation is constantly growing, blooming, and dying as the seasons change, but also with the ever changing placement of these treasures and daily additions of new pieces. The series will explore themes of anonymity, impermanence, and the human connection. My hope is that the work will inspire the viewer to spread kindness in their own small way within their community and bring some magic to the spaces they inhabit.
Kim Kuhn is a graduate of the Southeast Center for Photographic studies and received her Bachelors in Photography from the University of Central Florida. Born and raised in Daytona Beach, Kuhn has worked as a photographer since 2004 and spent the last 10 years as photo editor for a variety of national print publications including Parenting, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Caribbean Travel + Life, and The World’s Most Amazing Places magazines. One of her most recent projects was a special edition of TIME. Kuhn has a passion for documentary style photography and environmental portraiture. Her work explores themes of subcultures, human connection, and intimate life. (www.kimkuhn.com)"
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Kim Kuhn asked for volunteers to submit a painted rock to the project for her to hold on to temporarily and photograph. She placed the rocks within the natural environments of Sugar Mill Gardens in places that spoke to her, inspired by both the artists and the rocks. Her project is all about mirroring: the rocks mirror the environment and also the artists. Her work represents the essence of each artist and the process of releasing their art into nature. All of the artists portraits were taken in Sugar Mill Gardens, where the rocks are regularly hidden. Each image was paired with the artists work on one side and the artist on the other. The artists she photographed ranged in all ages. They all regularly paint and hide rocks for others. This community of rockers is vast and diverse.
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For many years, this movement has been about anonymous kindness. Dropping a rock in the woods and disappearing with the understanding that someone else will walk the same path and stumble upon it. Many take these rocks home and enjoy them forever, others bring them to another spot and continue the cycle. Some rocks have traveled across the world.
Kim Kuhns shines a brief light on the artists, highlighting the beauty of what they do and what they create. It can be certain that these artists, and so many others in our local community, though, will slip back into the guise of the scavenger hunt, spreading more kindness and art for all. These artists and their rocks are as much a part of the gardens as the wonderful volunteers who keep it beautiful and the lush flowers and rich history that make it unique.
To see more of her work and follow this upcoming project: http://www.kimkuhn.com/
*Kim Kuhn will be continuing this body of work and photographing locations outside of Sugar Mill (but still has shoots lined up at the gardens and will keep photographing there for anyone interested in participating). If you have painted rocks and hidden them locally and would like to be a part of this ongoing project, please contact Kim at kimkuhnphoto@gmail.com*
If you'd like to join the local kindness rocks movement, its as easy as creating art and releasing it.
If you'd like to find a rock, wander into Sugar Mill Gardens, you never know what you'll find and while you're there, enjoy all that is has to offer!
Happy Hunting!
-Savannah Kater, Daytona Beach Macaroni KID
