by Connie Oswald Stofko
“Many people don’t need all the seeds their garden produces,” said Mary Ouimette-Kinney of the University Heights Art Association. She is co-founder and co-director along with Lawrence Kinney.
In this article we’ll talk about one group, the University Heights Arts Association in Buffalo and its ARTseeds program. Then we’ll list other groups that are sharing seeds. If you know of any other groups, please leave information about that group in a comment below.
If you need some help on how to collect seeds, see this page at Global Seed Network.
Why an arts group shares seeds
The University Heights Arts Association has a sculpture garden with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at 3107 Main St., Buffalo, in the lot behind the church. And the group has members who garden and who save seeds.
Couple that with their attitude toward art, and you can see how they got into sharing seeds.
“Art is more than art hanging on a wall,” Ouimette-Kinney said.
Gardening itself can be art, and art can be functional. They’ve made and shared hundreds of planters recycled out of old cans, one of many items they have created that are both functional and artistic.
Another functional item is a paint set. They have a recipe for watercolor paints and pour the paints into a palette made from five bottle caps glued together.
The group shares art with people who might not have access to art supplies or lessons. They have created ARTcovz Dispensers®, cabinets containing envelopes with lessons and appropriate supplies for that project that are set in community centers and taken to various events. An envelope might contain a paint set and paper.
Donated art materials are also included; clay is very popular and gets chosen quickly, Ouimette-Kinney said. The group has assembled more than 400 different self-serve art projects.
The ARTcovz Dispensers also contain a shelf for ARTseeds. Each packet is adorned with a beautiful illustration done by local artists.
You can see more about the ARTcovz® Dispensers here.
The group is also planning a cookbook for spring that will include information on gardening, recipes, illustrations and poetry.
How to share seeds with ARTseeds
ARTseeds offers approximately 80 types of seeds, which you can see here.
The group doesn’t put any restrictions on the type of seeds that can be shared; they don’t have to be heirloom seeds or native plants.
Seeds are offered year round (though, of course, you should wait until the appropriate time to plant them).
You can find seeds in their ARTcovz® Dispensers. They also dispense seeds at more than 30 events per year, including the Capen Garden Walk and Northwest Buffalo Tour of Gardens.
They will also mail them to anyone who wishes to receive them. Anyone interested can contact firstname.lastname@example.org or 833-6260.