The Memory Chips Museum is an artistic initiative in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, introducing the “museum as medium”—a vibrant space built around a growing collection of over 1,000 potato chip bags from around the globe. Taking “Potato Chip Diplomacy” as our core principle, the museum transforms snack packaging into a surprising platform for storytelling, curiosity, and connection.

 Formerly a professional tightwire walker, I moved to China in 2005 to train foot juggling with the Hebei Acrobatic Troupe. Training was bitter and tiring, leading to me making strange decisions— like collecting potato chip bags. They were small, lightweight, and full of unfamiliar flavors, souvenirs that captured moments I didn’t yet have words for. More than twenty years later, I began to see those bags differently.
Each one held a story.

I started talking to people from places where the bags originated, listening to memories, traditions, and everyday experiences. The bags became something powerful: a simple, disarming way to connect. In a world where understanding each other can feel harder than ever, that matters.

We call this idea “Potato Chip Diplomacy”.

The Memory Chips Museum transforms everyday snack packaging into a platform for curiosity, storytelling, and human connection. From wasabi chips in China to dill pickle in the U.S., each bag becomes a playful ambassador of its culture.

And now, we’re building a home for this collection. In Bolivar/Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, we’ve been given access to a 1940s brick building—just steps from a place where people from around the world already come to reflect, explore, and connect.

But right now, it’s just a shell.

To open the museum, we need to restore and transform the space—weatherproofing the structure, rebuilding the entrance, stabilizing windows, and making it safe to welcome visitors and protect the collection. Your support makes this possible.

This isn’t just about preserving chip bags. It’s about creating a living, evolving space where people come together.

With your help, the museum will host:

This will be a place where curiosity is sparked, stories are shared, and unexpected connections are made.

And when you donate, you’re not just supporting a project—you’re becoming part of it. Join us, and help turn a simple snack into a global conversation