Get to Know Jess Rene

Jess Rene is a Two-Spirit Indigenous Designer, Herbalist, Ethnobotanist, Ecologist, Architect, and Urban Planner specializing in sustainable design, food forests, and community-focused spaces. Rooted in food justice, cultural reclamation, and holistic care, Jess creates meaningful projects that foster equity, connection, and ecological stewardship.

Their work includes custom gift sets, stoneware pottery, nonprofit collaborations, and wellness programming—each thoughtfully designed to honor Indigenous wisdom and promote sustainability.

As a self-taught nutritionist, Jess passionately advocates for recognizing nutrition as a foundational pillar of health. Embracing the belief that food is medicine, they integrate holistic wellness approaches that reconnect communities with ancestral dietary wisdom and sustainable food systems. Join our CSA delivery service at HeartfulRootz.org.

Explore Jess's work and join a journey grounded in justice, healing, and Indigenous-led sustainability.

Product Collections & Custom Commissions

Gift giving is Jess Rene's profound love language—a heartfelt way to express care, connection, and gratitude within their community. They find joy in:

• Creating and curating custom gifts for community loved ones, team-building events, and special occasions.
• Designing bespoke stoneware pieces that tell stories through wall art, adding meaningful narratives to wellness centers and public spaces.
• Crafting unique dinnerware sets tailored for homes and restaurants, blending function with cultural artistry.
• Sculpting garden decor and outdoor connection items that enhance healing environments and foster bonds with the natural world.

Each creation is thoughtfully designed to carry intention, cultural resonance, and a spirit of generosity. Jess welcomes both solo and collaborative commissions, working closely with clients to craft pieces that reflect their vision while honoring ancestral traditions and sustainable practices.

Heritage

Jess proudly honors their rich Indigenous heritage, embraced from both sides of their family.

On their mother's side, their roots trace to the Nahua, Otomi, Zapotec, and Mixteca peoples, alongside Tarahumara, with Amazon and Andes root. Although not yet claimed by these tribes, Jess deeply values recovering these roots and cultural traditions, inspired by a great grandmother who was a potter.

On their father's side, Jess descends from mixed First Nations heritage including Algonquin, Montagnais, Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabeg), Iroquois (Mohawk), and Scandinavian (Sámi) ancestry.

These layered ancestries profoundly influence their identity, even as Jess navigates the complexities of border constraints and tribal disenrollment.

Background and Practice

Jess Rene identifies as a Two-Spirit, queer, Indigenous non-binary Designer rooted in ecological and cultural reverence. With a background in Interior Design, Architecture, Ethnobotany, Ecology, and Project Development, they blend ancestral knowledge and contemporary design to foster meaningful cultural connections and wellness.

Their artistic practice includes stoneware pottery, herbalism, and interior design focusing on Indigenous wellness spaces. They create custom medicinals, ceramics infused with intention, song, and prayer, and develop collaborative community wellness projects that center BIPGM (Black, Indigenous, and People of the Global Majority) communities.

Passionate about dismantling colonized and shame-based systems, Jess promotes a spirit-led, justice-centered approach to design and community development. They hold deep commitment to equity, environmental stewardship, and cultural restoration.

Design & Storytelling

Jess Rene is passionate about creating designs that tell powerful cultural stories, especially through wall art and stoneware. Their work blends ancestral knowledge, environmental themes, and personal narratives into visual storytelling that honors Indigenous heritage and fosters connection. Open to solo and collaborative projects, Jess is actively developing creative commissions and team-based efforts that transform spaces and bring stories to life. These designs often serve as focal points in community wellness spaces, inviting reflection, healing, and cultural celebration.

Sustainable & Ecological Design

Committed to honoring the land and promoting resilience, Jess specializes in sustainable landscape and ecological design. Their expertise includes planning and developing food forests, community gardens, and regenerative landscapes that support biodiversity and cultural plant relationships. Jess envisions creating community wellness hubs where natural elements and Indigenous stewardship unite to nurture healing environments. Sustainability and reciprocity with the earth are core principles guiding every design project they undertake.