The Think Potato Institute defines Potato Humanities as the interdisciplinary study of the potato’s cultural, artistic, symbolic, historical, scientific, and social life. While references to the potato appear throughout history and across many fields of inquiry, the term has been further developed and articulated through the work of Jeffrey Allen Price, founder of the Think Potato Institute and originator of POTATOISM.
Within Potato Humanities, concepts such as the Potato Art Spectrum help illustrate the potato’s remarkable ability to occupy multiple cultural meanings simultaneously—from nourishment, agriculture, labor, and survival to humor, popular culture, symbolism, and artistic expression. This unusual symbolic flexibility makes the potato a uniquely productive subject for interdisciplinary study.
Through research, exhibitions, lectures, publications, collections, and public programming, the Institute seeks to expand and support the growing field of Potato Humanities.
Developed through the work of Jeffrey Allen Price and the Think Potato Institute, Potato Humanities provides a framework for investigating the potato’s role across art, history, agriculture, folklore, media, and collective imagination.
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Exhibitions & Projects
Explore major exhibitions, festivals, installations, lectures, collections, publications, and special projects developed through the Think Potato Institute from 1996 to the present.
POTATOISM
Explore the philosophical framework that examines the potato as a cultural symbol and lens for understanding art, history, labor, identity, and collective imagination.
The Potato Art Spectrum
Discover how the potato moves fluidly between nourishment and absurdity, survival and entertainment, symbolic depth and everyday banality.
TPI Timeline
Follow the development of the Think Potato Institute from the first Think Potato Festival in 1996 to international exhibitions, conferences, research projects, and cultural initiatives around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Looking for a quick overview? The FAQ page answers common questions about TPI, POTATOISM, Potato Humanities, the collection, exhibitions, research, and how to get involved.