BEYOND THE PUPUSERIA: CREATING AND INVITING EXHIBTION ABOUT SALVADORAN IMMIGRANTS AND THE PURSUIT OF HOME IN MT. PLEASANT, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Open AccessBEYOND THE PUPUSERIA: CREATING AND INVITING EXHIBTION ABOUT SALVADORAN IMMIGRANTS AND THE PURSUIT OF HOME IN MT. PLEASANT, WASHINGTON, D.C. is an exhibition proposal and feasibility study regarding exhibition design that uses available resources in the Salvadoran immigrant community of Mt. Pleasant. The exhibition’s goal is to enable long-lasting relationships -- re-establishing and fostering dialogue between communities. The exhibit looks at Salvadoran culture; the communities’ stories of migration, displacement, and the pursuit of home. It is intended for young adults living in the DC metropolitan area. The target audience is culturally and politically active at local, national, and international levels. They are a key component in extending the reach of the exhibit. The exhibit presents narratives in two of Mt. Pleasant’s Salvadoran eateries (Pupuserias) and one of its pocket parks. The pocket park is a neighborhood hub, actively used by many diverse communities. The accessibility and existing interchange between communities makes the park an integral part of the overall exhibit design.By partnering with small Salvadoran businesses in the community, the exhibit not only offers authentic perspectives on the major narratives, it invites genuine connection between communities. Salvadoran residents are at home at these establishments; their stories will be shared on their terms and in their spaces. Relatively few non-Salvadorans visit these spaces; this creates opportunity for connections at a different level than what may currently happen.The exhibit uses graphic applications, audio recordings, written testimonies, personal images, and communal imagery. The exhibit incorporates these elements into the establishments’ existing design, which is focused on retail. Design integrates fully into this setting. For example, some graphic applications highlight products, connecting them to narratives of local families and larger history. Graphic applications and audio recordings are incorporated in an intuitive and accessible manner, based on studies of consumer behavior. This design integration promotes the message of the exhibition while boosting business of venues and bringing attention to the neighborhood.The exhibit seeks to be a model of communication that partners with the subject community, presenting narratives in places that the community “owns”. The exhibit utilizes readily accessible resources and uses design elements that engage different levels of learning and interpretation. It seeks to fulfill the purpose of being a creative model for the study, enrichment and development of communities at a cultural level, and it seeks to highlight the plethora of available resources to do so, which speaks to its own feasibility.
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FulgencioPerez_gwu_0075M_13137.pdf | 2018-01-16 | Open Access |
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