Des Moines, Iowa (July 2024): The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation and the Des Moines Airport Authority have announced the artists chosen for five large-scale, sitespecific art installations throughout the new airport terminal, slated to open in late 2026. To support the artist selection and installation process, the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation initiated a $4 million fundraising effort in late 2023 which, to date, has reached just over 80% of the fundraising goal. This includes a $1 million contribution from the Ruan Family Foundation and support from over 60 donors. Fundraising will continue through 2025.

Adam Frank, Alteronce Gumby, Gordon Huether, and Anne Lindberg were chosen from an international pool of artists for four interior sites throughout the terminal. Through an open call to
artists living and working in Iowa, Matt Niebuhr / RDG Art Studio’s proposal was chosen for a multi-faceted exterior site.

The highly visible spaces in the new terminal provide the opportunity for expansive and engaging installations by these artists. All finalists were selected by a committee of representatives from the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, the Des Moines Airport Authority, and community stakeholders. Artists will have the artworks in place when the new terminal opens. Owned by the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation, they will be on permanent loan to the Des Moines Airport Authority who will also be responsible for maintaining the art.

Iowa-born artist Anne Lindberg will be featured in a site that consists of the wall above the check-in counter and both terminal end walls adjacent to the check-in. The artwork will be visible from the exterior approach, creating a sense of place upon arrival. Lindberg’s subtle and sophisticated use of material and color will complement the terminal’s elegant architecture. Lindberg is a Joan Mitchell Foundation grantee whose work is in collections worldwide, including that of NYU Langone Health located in the Citicorp Building in New York and the Richard Bolling Federal Building in Kansas City, MO. To read more about Lindberg’s commissions and exhibitions, visit annelindberg.com.

The second site is comprised of the east and west glass panel walls of the new terminal’s elevator enclosure. Visible from the first and second stories of the terminal, this work by New York artist Adam Frank consists of both static images and moving projections. Frank’s installation will engage visitors from all angles by bringing the natural world into the terminal. Frank’s selected commissions include STREAM at the San Antonio River Authority and SUNLIGHT, located at the Denver Department of Cultural Affairs. Read more about Frank and
view images at adamfrank.com.

A suspended artwork by Gordon Huether of California will grace the third site, located on the terminal’s second floor. This artwork will hover over the meeter-greeter space where friends and
relatives gather to welcome passengers or see them off on their journey. Huether’s installation for this space will pay homage to Iowa’s rivers. Huether is completing several site-specific artworks for the Salt Lake City International Airport this year. His commissions are in over 70 public collections across the country. Find additional artist information and images at
gordonhuether.com.

The fourth site consists of an expansive wall adjacent to the meeter-greeter space. Alteronce Gumby’s “tonal paintings” created from locally sourced calcite, moss agate, pearls and chalcedony will provide a counterpoint to Huether’s airy installation. Gumby’s works are in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, MA. Gumby recently completed his first documentary, COLOR, with John Campbell, and is currently preparing for his next solo exhibition at Nicola Vassell Gallery in November 2024. Reach more about the New York City artist’s international exhibition and award history at alteroncegumby.com.

The final site encompasses the exterior approach to the terminal and a series of adjacent bus shelters. Niebuhr / RDG’s design will incorporate boldly colored “sentinels” along the approach
that allude to the region’s native plants. Bus shelter imagery will echo this celebration of indigenous vegetation. Niebuhr / RDG were awarded the Design Excellence: Citation Award for Small Projects, AIA Central States Region, 2023 and the Public Spaces Merit Award, CODAworx, 2018. Additional information on the Studio’s public art projects can be viewed at rdgusa.com/work/markets/public-art.

About the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation
Established in 2004, The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation is a non-profit organization, which recognizes that art belongs not just in galleries and museums, but also in streetscapes,
parks, buildings and infrastructures of a thriving community. Dedicated to envisioning, developing, advancing and promoting public art projects, the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation collaborates with local entities and artists to engage, inspire and enrich the lives of residents and visitors to the community. Further information about the Des Moines  International Airport Public Art Project, including a list of donors to-date and details about how to contribute to the Project, can be found here. For more information about the Foundation visit: https://dsmpublicartfoundation.org, or socialize with us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/dsmpublicartfoundation and Instagram at @DSMPublicArt.

About the Des Moines Airport Authority
The Des Moines Airport Authority is an independent entity that oversees the operations and maintenance of the Des Moines International Airport. The Airport Authority ensures the safety of
the Airport and works to improve the quality of air service making air travel to and from Des Moines more convenient and pleasurable. For more information, visit www.flydsm.com and follow @dsmairport on Twitter and DSM International Airport on Facebook.

The airport’s $445 million terminal will increase gate capacity by fifty percent, boosting central Iowa’s economic development. The current terminal, built in 1948, is still in use today and hosts over 3 million travelers a year as the gateway to Iowa, America’s Heartland. Through this new terminal project, the Des Moines International Airport will be poised to increase air service and accommodations enhancing the travel experience for all.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV) -Several Cedar Rapids firefighters are recovering from minor injuries after responding to a house fire Saturday night. The Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded to calls for a house fire in the 2900 block of Center Point Road Northeast just before 9:15 p.m. Saturday.

Officials made sure no one was inside the house. Multiple firefighters received minor injuries while battling the flames. They were taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – A law banning most abortions in Iowa will take effect at 8 o’clock this (Monday) morning. The so-called heartbeat law bans abortion as soon as cardiac activity is detected, which can be as early as six weeks of pregnancy. Maggie DeWitte is executive director of the Pro Life group called Pulse Life Advocates. She says during the years of legal battles over abortion, she wasn’t sure if the law would ever be enforced in Iowa.

DeWitte says she’ll keep pushing Iowa lawmakers to ban abortion from the moment of conception. The deputy director at the Chicago Abortion Access Fund, Qudsiyyah Shariyf says they’ve partnered with the Iowa Abortion Fund to give people financial and logistical support to get abortions in anticipation of Iowa’s law going into effect. She says they’ve already gotten 60 requests from Iowans for support.

The law does allow exceptions for rape, incest, medical emergencies, and fetal abnormalities that are incompatible with life.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S surgeon general is urging Congress to pass legislation requiring warning labels on social media, an idea that’s gaining traction among some mental health professionals in Iowa who treat teenagers. Jeff Reiland, a child and family therapist with Gundersen Health System, says a host of studies confirm that too much social media can poison a child’s well-being. “The problem has been getting worse,” Rieland says, “and there’s a growing body of knowledge that really helps confirm more and more our concerns that when kids are exposed to too much social media, they experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

He says there have long been concerns among parents, school leaders and mental health professionals about the impact social media is having on America’s young people. “Teenagers average about five hours of social media time every day, and we know it is a big part or a contributing factor to problems kids are having with anxiety and depression,” Rieland says. “When kids have more than three hours of social media time, they are twice as likely to experience depression.” Putting a warning label on social media won’t magically fix the problem, Rieland says, but it may be a good first step.

“Past efforts at creating warning labels on things like tobacco products, and alcohol, can raise public awareness,” Rieland says. “It can help people to recognize, ‘Oh, this is a serious thing.’ It’s so big that we need to warn you that this is a concern, that this could cause problems for your child, if used in excess.” If a kid sees his mom, dad or both spending a lot of time on social media, Rieland says that’s a key driver in the child devoting more time to the screen. “Parents are our first and our most significant teachers across our lifetime for a child or a teenager. And so, parents modeling screen use is going to be followed by their teenagers,” Rieland says. “There is plenty of evidence and many studies have demonstrated that when parents are really involved in social media use, their children are more likely also to be involved in social media use.”

Not all social media is bad, Rieland says, noting how it was the only way kids could connect during the pandemic. Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Party leaders say having Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket will be a game changer in the final 99 days of the 2024 campaign. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart greeted a crowd of about 450 at a party fundraiser Saturday night. “The one word I keep hearing over and over again is excitement,” Hart said. Lanon Baccom, the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s third congressional district, told the crowd it’s clear something’s happening.

“We’ve had more folks knocking on doors today than we have at any point in this campaign,” Baccam said. Pam Jochum, the leader of Democrats in the Iowa Senate, says having President Biden for step aside and endorse Harris is having a trickle down effect. “Kamala Harris’ candidacy has brought an explosion of new energy and enthusiasm,” Jochum said. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says along with the change at the national level, there are other reasons the prospects for Iowa Democrats are rising.

Konfrst says Republican moves to overhaul Area Education Agency services and use state tax dollars to cover private tuition, are unpopular with voters. “And they do not want extreme abortion bans, threats to birth control and invitro fertilization,” Konfrst said. “Iowans are fed up, they’re furious about this abortion ban.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is in the national spotlight as Harris considers him as a potential running mate and he was the closer for Saturday’s fundraiser. Beshear described himself and Harris as unifiers. “Democrats govern well because we care, we genuinely care not just about people of our party,” Beshear said, “but all of the people we serve.”

Iowa Republican Party spokesman Luke Wolff issued a written statement before Beshear’s speech. He called Beshear an out of touch governor with an awful track record.

(Iowa News Service) –  Tomorrow marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and the state is calling on residents and employees alike to be aware of the signs that someone could be a victim.  The widespread use of social media has made it harder to corral sex traffickers in recent years. Secretary of State Paul Pate launched the Iowa Business Against Trafficking Initiative in 2022, to ask 300,000 employees of 800 Iowa businesses to be the eyes and ears if they sense a person is being trafficked.

“Well, we’re not asking anyone to be a hero here,” said Pate. “What we’re asking them to be is good neighbors. It’s like a neighborhood watch program. You watch for suspicious or unusual behavior, activities that are going on, and let law enforcement know – because they can’t be everywhere all the time.”

Pate has enlisted the help of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this year – which has started an initiative to remind people that if they suspect they spot human trafficking, they should say something to local authorities.  Tom Ruck is the senior engagement manager for the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign against human trafficking, and has been in Iowa to boost Pate’s efforts at confronting it.

He said it’s important not to try to physically step in and rescue a person who appears to be a trafficking victim, even if that’s the natural inclination of someone who wants to help.  “But we could put you at harm for doing something,” said Ruck. “The trafficker may try to hurt you – and definitely the person being trafficked could be put in harm’s way, down the road. So we say, ‘Call your local authorities.'”

He added that traffickers often prey on young people who report feeling isolated, depressed, or estranged from their parents – and the criminals work those angles to make contact with prospective victims.