You know potatoes are comfort food, and according to your mom, a good source of nutrition (especially if you eat the skins). But did you know these roots and their relatives, such as yams, are a source of metaphysical power as well?

 

Find out just how much beginning July 8, when the Harn Museum of Art on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville will exhibit the artwork of Papua New Guinea in an exhibition entitled Cultivating Spirits: The Art of Sepik River Yam Displays.

 

The exhibition focuses on the ritual display of yams that occurs around the time of harvest in Sepik River societies. For many Sepik peoples, including the Kwoma, Nukuma, Abelam and related groups, yams are not only a vital food source but also the manifestations of the power of clan spirits.

 

During harvest rites, male members of clan-based organizations construct monumental ceremonial houses for the storage and display of the yams. The actual yams, reaching up to 12 feet in length, are decorated and displayed in the ceremonial houses, which are filled with painted reliefs and free-standing sculptures. Yam displays enhance the status of male yam cultivators, their clan members and ancestors.

 

The exhibition comprises 25 works from the Harn collection and the C. Frederick and Aase B. Thompson Foundation. You can also meet world travelers and collectors Rick and Aase Thompson at a Gallery Talk on Sunday, July 13 at 3 p.m.

 

The exhibition will be on display until Sept. 21, 2008 and is supported by S.F.I. But remember, keep your hands, and your mouths, to yourself—these yams, and their related materials, aren’t edible.

 

Admission to the Harn Museum of Art is free. For more information call 352-392-9826 or visit www.harn.ufl.edu.