The objective
of the Potato Stories project was to disseminate potato
plants, information and stories about the potato. As a
staple crop the history of the potato is intertwined with
western civilization. In the spring of 2004, I set up
environments for growing and dispersing this root vegetable
from a gallery in downtown Pittsburgh. This exhibit featured
potatoes in a number of stages of development: from seed
potatoes to plants, as well as potatoes ready for baking.
Over the three-week installation, gallery-goers and passers-by
took a total of 90 starter “seed” potatoes
home with them and participated in the dissemination of
the potato story. After the show closed the remaining
40 potatoes were set afloat on the Allegeny River accompanied
by stories.
