SUSPENDED IN THE BALANCE
In 2020, Susan Sidebottom photographed Iowans living in some of the most food insecure counties in our nation despite Iowa leading our country in egg, hog, corn, ethanol and soybean production. Suspended in the Balance is a portrayal of working poverty that offers unique circumstances and stark contrasts concerning food and housing insecurity to address the ongoing and critical need of under-served families in communites. The images force us to realize the emotional trauma that occurs in people who are deprived of the basic necessities of living, with food and housing at the forefront of those needs. It is an ongoing social issue amplified by current politics, the recent pandemic, and severe climate events. We see an increase in socio-economic separation where access to food and consistent resources put them in precarious situations, success and failure are out of their control, and they are often numb to the world in which they find themselves. They are productive members of communities so their risk isn't outwardly apparent, but they face the dichotomy between vulnerability and stability every day.