Even though I’ve spent nearly two decades living in Avondale Estates, so much of who I am is tied to the City of Decatur. I grew up there in a family whose roots run deep in the community. My mom devoted much of her career to helping shape Decatur into what it is today, and my grandaddy was part of that story too. I bought my first house there. I sold my first piece of art at the Oakhurst Arts Festival. So much of my everyday life still centers around Decatur, from Saturday morning breakfast spots with my dad to choosing corners of the city for Art and Found Day drops.
My address may say Avondale, but at my core, I’ll always be a Decatur girl.
Which is why, when the City of Decatur invited me to participate in its Budget as Art program and create the cover artwork for the 2026–2027 Annual Budget, it felt deeply personal. In many ways, it felt like coming home.
At first glance, creating art for something as practical as a city budget might not sound especially creative. Budgets are numbers, spreadsheets, and planning documents. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized a city budget is really a reflection of what a community values. It protects the things that help people feel connected to where they live: homes, schools, gathering places, traditions, and shared experiences that shape a city’s identity.
Finding a single image that could hold all of that meaning felt important to get right. Carrying that level of artistic responsibility while also keeping the project to myself for so long has really been the hardest part.
Part of the initiative requires the artist and cover design to remain a secret until the City Manager officially presents the proposed budget to the Mayor and Commissioners. That meant sitting on the excitement of creating this year’s cover for months without being able to tell anyone. Well… almost anyone. I don’t think moms count.
But not anymore.
Last night was the reveal, and by the time you’re reading this, my new piece Uniquely Treasured is finally out in the world.
The Budget as Art initiative itself says a lot about Decatur. How many cities invite local artists to interpret something as civic and foundational as a budget? It’s one more example of the creativity and care that make this place unlike anywhere else.
“Uniquely Treasured invites you to pause and see the City of Decatur the way I’ve always seen it — as a vibrant, one-of-a-kind world worth cherishing.”
— Jodi Florence
About the Piece
I chose a glitter globe as the central form because Decatur has always felt like a place filled with spirit and sparkle. Colorful, imaginative, and full of heart. A keepsake.
Inside the globe, I wanted the imagery to feel whimsical, vibrant, and completely Decatur, almost like stepping into a world filled with magic. Symbolic details, like the bird carrying a dangling heart above the city’s logo, were meant to reflect the warmth, creativity, and inclusiveness that have always made it feel special to me.
Because that’s what Decatur is. A city with a personality all its own: creative, welcoming, diverse, deeply connected, and impossible to mistake for anywhere else.
I also intentionally contrasted the vibrant world inside the globe with a subtle, color-washed Atlanta-inspired skyline behind it. Decatur exists alongside one of the country’s major metropolitan areas, yet it has never blended into the background. It has always held tightly to its own character and sense of community.
That contrast felt important to show.
Decatur offers the warmth and personality of a small town while still carrying the energy, opportunity, and connectedness that come with being part of a thriving urban region. It stands apart. If anything, Decatur has become an example of how a city can preserve its individuality while continuing to evolve and grow.
I’m incredibly grateful to the City of Decatur and its Budget as Art program for trusting me to be part of something so meaningful. The cover will be featured across the city’s social media and newsletters, and the original artwork will soon hang somewhere inside City Hall. Rumor has it the piece may already be welcoming visitors to the City Manager’s office.
For me, Decatur has always been home. And maybe that’s exactly why this piece found its way there.
After all, home is where your heART is.