Apothecary
The Prisoner’s Apothecary is a mobile healing unit ( or “Plantbulance”) that transforms the plants from The Solitary Gardens into medicine for communities most deeply impacted by the insidious reach of mass incarceration. The Prisoner’s Apothecary will produce natural medicine, tea, tinctures, steams, and salves. As the medicine is designed by folks who are incarcerated, incarcerated individuals will have a unique opportunity to heal the communities they are often accused of harming. This action will transcend perceptions of criminality, restitution, and redemption. As part of a national tour, The Prisoner’s Apothecary will offer free plant medicine and healing justice workshops to communities marginalized by mass incarceration, violence, and heteropatriarchy. Beginning in 2016 as part of the Rauschenberg Residency, this project has taken on many lifeforms, including a Creative Capital Grant and a successful Kickstarter Campaign. As we continue to build, this initiative will be built with a collective of grassroots organizers, artists, healthcare dissidents, farmers, and educators working toward harm reduction, health sovereignty, and accessible community care. Teaming up with herbalists around the country, one of our strongest partners is Samara School of Community Herbalism in New Orleans. As part of this initiative, 2020 Samara students will share their notes from class with incarcerated individuals through written correspondence, transcending education and access.
Filled with plant-medicine grown in collaboration with incarcerated persons and distributed to affected communities nationally, The Prisoner’s Apothecary facilitates the healing potentiality of folx we are systematically taught to condemn. If you would like to contribute to this project you can do so here! (just say its for Solitary Gardens)!
