See Beautiful Grant Applicant: Authentic Creations

The feature below is brought to you by Authentic Creations Publishing Apothecary, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. 

To learn more about Authentic Creations Publishing Apothecary, please visit their website page: here.

Spreading the wisdom of seeds

At Authentic Creations Publishing Apothecary our mission is to spread the wisdom of Seeds through tending the wounds of People Of Heritage (Of Colour) and their land with our programs since 2011. Our vision is to bring People Of Heritage back into harmony with the Planet through our relationships to Self, our Ancestry, Nature and each other.

We seek to increase and sustain accessible wellness services and education to People Of Heritage in ‘Colorado’ with our nature based lifestyles approach, adapted from Indigenous cultures, which promotes leadership, respect, accountability, regenerative mutual aide, creativity, and cultural revitalization. The creation and evolution of these offerings is by direct community requests gathered from surveys, registration and feedback forms.

Through such initiatives as artistic writing, Seed stewardship, affinity gatherings, cultural celebrations, indigenous foods, theatre, liberation art, printmaking zines we aim to assist our underrepresented community in sovereign-self-realization. Over the last decade, our focus is trauma informed care, therapeutic techniques, cultural significance, intersectional diversity, and play. Our zero waste grassroots organization affirms, networks, advocates for and shares knowledge with our marginalized population.

Our four main BY US, FOR US program types are:
1) Theatre and Writing: Theatre Therapy specializes in peaceful plays. These utopic vignettes depict the triumphs of our marginalized communities, and ways to show up as our Allies. We specialize in the playmaking style of LaMama spirit a cross-pollination of performance art, music, songs, playwriting, poetry, imagery/visuals and dance. In addition, we make educational literature and illustrations and distribute to our participants in zine form.

2) Affinity Gatherings: These events intend to close the grabs between us and our heritage, affirm our identities, while creating space for lasting relationships, ancestral tending, and spirituality.
3) Seed Initiatives:

Rematriation: We educate about, distribute and return Ancestral Seeds; bringing together again Indigenous folks, Native Seeds and wild lands.
Seed Stewardship: Specifically culturally relevant Seeds, the stories they hold and literature on how to save your own seeds, how to fold your own seed packets, phytoremediation, Seed patents, botanical anatomy, regional publications, and growing conditions. Events additionally feature health care services and indigenous foods.

Sovereignty Care Packs: get sent out for Indigenous Solidarity, Disaster Relief and regenerative mutual aid efforts in connection with our West African Seed Lending Library.

4) Multi-Cultural Center and Garden: In 2020 we hope to centralize our long-term peace efforts with a permanent location. We are one of the few gardens in our area focusing on multi-cultural rematriation and home to a West African Seed Lending Library.

While every offering is unique most have workshops, indigenous foods, health care services, Ancestral Seeds, play space, music and child/elder/disability care. Some focus on social movements and/or environmental justice work while reflecting the beauty of our communities.

To learn more about us and the beautiful work we do visit ArtisticApothecary.wordpress.com

Submitted by Kuwa Jasiri Indomela

Founding Member of Authentic Creations