Installation Audio Components: Interstate 235 Below the Median Income

The installation contrasts Des Moines ranking as “Best in Nation” place to live, “Iowa nice” reputation of being overly friendly and go out of our way to help fellow citizens, and the visitors’ personal story.

Introduction * 2:12 Evelyn: Dress fo Success Des Moines * 8:36 Madison DeShay-Duncan: Community Legacy Matters The Center Street Story: An Urban Renewal Retrospective * 16:52 Anthony San: RunDSM * 23:17 Matthea: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Travel outside the space of your routine to reflect on:

When did you get to Des Moines?

Where are you going?

Who are you going to see?

Why are you going?

What will you do in Des Moines?

How will you move forward?

Hello, my name is Lesley Payne. Welcome to Below the Median Income.

The land on which we gather is the traditional lands of: Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Meskwaki Nation: Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, and the Sioux People. We pay our respect to elders both past and present.

Below the Median Income was inspired by two quotes: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” from entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn; and on March 12, 2018, Director Joshua V. Barr Esq. of the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission said, “We have seventy-five percent of students experiencing some form of poverty in Des Moines Public Schools, so what can we do to improve that outlook? Research has shown that if a person remains in an impoverished condition up through their adolescent years they are more likely to remain in that position as they become older and become adults.”

These quotes and the information related to them evolved into an art installation of visual and audio components to place the visitor outside the space they routinely travel. The audio components are interview recordings obtained from people involved with public or non-profit organizations. The interviews tell the visitor about where that person routinely travels. The installation contrasts Des Moines ranking as a “Best in Nation” place to live, “Iowa nice” reputation of being overly friendly and go out of our way to help fellow citizens, and the visitors’ personal story.

2:12 Day 2: Evelyn

My guest for Day Two is Evelyn. She’s a member of the Professional Women’s Group; also know as PWG. It is a program offered to clients of the non-profit organization Dress for Success Des Moines. The group provides practical information and inspiration to achieve self-defined success in career and in life. Thank you for joining me Evelyn! What neighborhood of Des Moines do you live in?

Evelyn: on South side

Finish the sentence: When I step outside the place I live I see….

Evelyn: The trees, a little mall in front of where I am living, but it’s nice because it looks like city and country at the same time.

Where did you live before you moved to Iowa?

Evelyn: From Puerto Rico twelve years ago.

What was it like when you left Puerto Rico?

Evelyn: It was good. I used to like it when over there when I was in University, but it made it had to hard to to get a job. So that is what made me come to the United States.

Was there a lot of language or cultural differences between Puerto Rico and the United States?

Evelyn: Yea because over here there’s people from everywhere. So in Puerto Rico there is just the Spanish and English. We see people from United States, but other different counties not really. Maybe Dominicans or other Latin countries, but no, not from other countries like here, but we got people from everywhere.

You spent time in the Northeast United States. What made you come to the Des Moines area?

Evelyn: Yea, I was in Connecticut because I heard it was better living and more jobs. I checked online and it was a good reference about Des Moines, so I decided to move.

You moved for your brother is in the area.

Evelyn: My brother was living here five years ago.

How did he find