Islip Art Museum, East Islip, New York (2012)
Presented in the Historical Room of the Islip Art Museum in 2012, Unpacking My Potato Collection marked an important turning point in the development of the Think Potato Institute. Rather than exhibiting individual artworks alone, the exhibition foregrounded the collection itself as a conceptual artwork, research archive, and cultural document.
The installation brought together thousands of potato-related artifacts accumulated over more than two decades, including books, photographs, prints, toys, tools, advertisements, artworks, and ephemera from around the world. In many ways, the exhibition represented the first large-scale public presentation of what would later evolve into the Think Potato Institute.
Several concepts that would become central to TPI were visible here in early form: the Potato Library, collection-based exhibitions, archival practice, material culture research, and the study of potato-related objects as evidence of the potato’s broader cultural significance. The exhibition demonstrated that the collection was more than an accumulation of objects; it functioned as a framework for understanding the potato’s presence across art, history, language, folklore, education, commerce, and everyday life.
Looking back, Unpacking My Potato Collection helped establish a foundational idea that continues to guide the Think Potato Institute today: the collection itself is not merely a repository of artifacts, but an active tool for research, interpretation, education, and cultural inquiry.
Related Documentation:
• Institute Chronicle: Unpacking My Potato Collection (2012)