QUONTAY TURNER
Emerald City Plant Shop is a small Black womxn-owned, plant shop and botanical event space focused on providing quality plant care services, a unique indoor oasis for your intimate events, and curated wellness gifts to help make you and the spaces you occupy feel alive.Artist Statement:
What motivates my work, process, ideas and concepts is my community. I come from a community of black woman creatives native to Boston, that have supported me in my creative entrepreneurial journey. It is that support that drives me to create inclusive spaces and opportunities for those that might not otherwise have access to these things.Project Description:
In May, on a beautiful Saturday or Sunday. Outside at a local park giving away free house plants to the community. Inspired by Free Plants ATL and my love for greenery in my community. We want to start Free Plants BOS. House plants can be expensive and inaccessible in New England. We want to make plant ownership accessible to all. House plants teach self-care, improve your environment and air quality. Air quality, as we know, is a major area of concern in urban communities.May is the month in which we were founded, and we were able to open our doors due to our community. Therefore, annually in May with, the help of this grant, we want to give back to the community that gave to us.
This project will resonate with socioeconomically oppressed communities in Boston regardless of racial or gender identity because house plants, which are often expensive, can improve your home's air quality for those who may otherwise not have the budget to do so.
Plant ownership also can help to improve self-care; by learning how to care for your plant, you are learning how to care for yourself. I believe that those in the BIPOC community are constantly looking for affordable ways to improve the health and wellness of themselves and those around them. This project can play a role in empowering underserved communities of color to take charge of their environment and health.