Dedication Ceremony for artist Jordan Weber’s newest installation “Inhale… Exhale…” at Mainframe Studios
Des Moines, Iowa - Jordan Weber, an internationally renowned artist and race and environmental justice advocate, created the “Inhale…. Exhale….” installation at Mainframe Studios as a hopeful visual mantra highlighting the importance of breathing to calm the mind even in the face of adversity. A sunset dedication ceremony has been scheduled for Aug 2, 2024, at 8:15 pm to commemorate the finished installation. The ceremony will be held on Center Street in parking lot #301 of the Oakridge Neighborhood in front of the mural Weber designed to memorialize resident, Yore Jieng.
Weber intentionally built the installation on the Northwest side of Mainframe to face Oakridge, a nonprofit affordable housing development and human services agency that offers wraparound services from preschool to workforce programs. During the ceremony, Weber will dedicate the piece to the late President and CEO of Oakridge, Teree Caldwell-Johnson. He sees the piece as “a testament to their collaborative process.”
Teree Caldwell-Johnson was a community leader who dedicated her life to serving the public and advancing education, social justice, and the economy. She worked closely with the community and knew Weber from when he was on the Hoover High School basketball team. When asked about Weber’s transition to art she said, “It became clear to me that it was his calling.”
This calling continues to take Weber all over the U.S. to install public art projects, yet he still maintains a home and a presence in Des Moines. With this most recent installation, he continues to give back. He started the project by researching the history of the area.
This northwest corridor to downtown Des Moines once was home to a thriving Black community until it was demolished in the 60s/70s to make way for the MacVicar Freeway (I-235). Mainframe was then built in 1978 to house mainframe computers. It was then vacated in 2011 before being purchased by the nonprofit that would become Mainframe Studios in 2014. Since then the nonprofit has been providing affordable workspaces to advance equity and opportunities in the arts.
“It’s critical to acknowledge the past, how things came to be and to re-imagine our shared future,” said Mainframe’s current director, Julia Franklin. Weber’s newest installation acts as a beacon and call to action to collectively breathe and find peace. Having it be located on the rooftop of a building that is working to ensure everyone belongs and has a place to express themselves strengthens Jordan’s message. The installation is large metal letters that reflect the environment around them and pulse up and down with light at night.
The project was generously funded with grant support from Bravo Greater Des Moines, The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Operation Downtown in partnership with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Polk County Board of Supervisors, and individual donors Walter Lauridsen, Sarah Young & Jainen Thayer, and John McGowan and other anonymous contributors.
The ceremony is the culmination of four years of planning, designing, creating, installing and hard work. It was made in part with contributions from Deb Lawrence, Neil Young from Central Iowa Mechanical, Donovan Chestnut from Chesnut Signs, Dave Papich with Van Meter, Inc. and Doug Olson of Convergence North.
Join Weber and the community on Friday, August 2nd, at 8:15 pm to learn more and celebrate the newest installation. There will be guided breathing exercises presented by Jazzmine Brooks, the Rural Black Doula, spoken word by Oakridge youth, connections by Jill Wells, and a detailing of the project and honoring of Teree Caldwell-Johnson by artist Jordan Weber.
Click here to read more about Public Art at Mainframe.
Click here to view the official press release
