Arts Food Lifestyle

Sow True Seed Unveils 2023 Art Packets

2023 Art Packets. Photo by Mackenzie Crosson

By Emma Castleberry

Each spring, Sow True Seed opens up a call to artists and accepts submissions for their annual line of art seed packets. “Once we select the winning artists, I carefully go through the list of varieties and thoughtfully assign an artist to their designated variety based on the style and feel of their work,” says Chloe Grund, creative director and wholesale manager. “We really see such a range of styles—from embroidery to watercolor to collage to digital art—which is part of the reason why I think it is so fitting for seed packets. Seeds come in all shapes, sizes, colors, textures, have their own histories and stories, and I love that the imagery that holds them can reflect this.”

Each year, Sow True Seed adds 30 new art packets to the collection, with the hope of eventually having art on all seed packets. Currently about half of the company’s seed varieties have artwork on them from artists all over the country, including many local and regional artists.

Emily Roberts of BeSpeak Designs, whose art is featured on the Monarch Mix seed packet, has worked in food systems and food justice efforts across Western North Carolina for more than 10 years. “I love Sow True Seed’s mission of encouraging seed saving for a resilient food system,” she says. “The art I created for the Monarch Mix seed packet was inspired by the vibrant colors and varied textures and shapes of the flowers that will grow from the seeds included in this packet. I wanted Monarch butterflies to feature prominently in the design while also complimenting the representations of the flowers that will grow from the packet’s seeds.”

2023 Staff from left, Mary VanEgmond, Brooke Lovingood, Chloe Grund, Leah Smith, Nora Millar, Hannah Gibbons, Elsa Stanton, Mackenzie Crosson

Sarah Hada says that, as an artist, she aims to imbue her work with a sense of childhood wonder—a sense she has found abundant while learning to garden over the past several years. “It’s something that becomes a bit elusive as we age, and it feels so good when we can revisit that feeling for a moment,” says Hada, who created art for the Mary Washington Asparagus packet. “Asparagus feels particularly wondrous since it’s a perennial and nighttime in the garden is an especially mysterious and magical time. So much is happening all the time in the garden. I’m often awe-struck when I go outside in the morning and see the changes that happened overnight. My goal was to share that magic with the viewer.”

Hada adds that, while exposure is generally positive for artists, it’s especially meaningful when you support your client’s mission. “Sow True Seed is doing such meticulous and important work to preserve the integrity of organic and heirloom seeds,” she says. “I feel so lucky to live in the same area as people who value healthy food sources and who recognize and honor the intrinsic magic of seeds. It was a joy and a privilege to work with them.”

Sow True Seed also offers customizable seed packets that can be used as wedding favors or gifts. “Planting a seed is all about care, promise and love, and I really can’t think of a more perfect wedding favor than that,” says Grund. Customers can choose from pre-designed templates and input names, messages and dates, or create a fully customized design using a graphic designer they’ve hired or by working with Sow True Seed’s in-house designers. Prices are based on complexity and quantity.

“I think what our art packet program does specifically is it holds a space for connection to gardening through art,” says Grund. “Folks can pick up a packet and feel an instant connection, just like one feels when admiring a piece of artwork they love. Plus, the packets amplify and uplift regional and national talent along the way, creating this unique and special intersection.”

For more information or to see all of the art packets, visit SowTrueSeed.com.

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