What:
We roll up in our Axle Contemporary mobile artspace, and set up inside and out with tables, a hand-washing setup, potatoes, carving tools, paper and our custom blended edible inks made from colorful foods such as turmeric, beet juice, spirulina, and chile. Participants carve the potato like one would for a woodblock. Then they make several prints using our inks. One of each artist’s work is hung in the mobile artspace, and additional prints can be taken home. As each potato block is finished being used, we chop it up and add it to a boiling pot of potato soup. Soup is served to all people present. The entire activity is provided for free.
 
Why:
It’s an engaged experience, a physically embodied creative process that reaches out to people in unexpected ways. Our aim is to enhance playfulness, ease tensions, connect people with their neighbors at the table, and spark conversation and connection. This is important in today’s world. . The juxtaposition of the humble potato and act of art-making also breaks down barriers between high culture and human culture, and increases  people’s engagement in thinking and reflection in all parts of their lives.
 
The fleet, flexible, and mobile nature of our Axle Contemporary artspace breaks with the traditional physical and social space of the art gallery. It enhances a creative adaptable approach. POTATO encourages improvisation in art making. The playful act of carving potato blocks and printing with food-inks (playing with your food) is not “self-conscious” and encourages improvised art making for all. Improvisation works best when a defined set of parameters are laid out, and creators can explore creative and tangential thinking. POTATO provides a structure and allows the participants to freely improvise.