Written by Belle Du Chene
Photos by Justin Salem Meyer
Talk to photographer Justin Salem Meyer, and it won’t be long before you’re questioning what you know, or thought you knew, about the people of Greater Des Moines. That’s because Meyer is on a mission to tell the stories of the city’s “makers,” people who may not be widely known—yet—but who are adding innovative energy to the city, whether they’re restoring axes, writing music or working on a letterpress machine.
Over the past six months, Meyer has photographed nearly 50 of these makers, calling the project #makedesmoines. “I use the term ‘maker’ to describe this project because it’s not just limited to (visual) art,” says the 32-year-old Des Moines native. “It implies that while some people make something tangible, others make Des Moines safer, or more beautiful or more fun. It’s a container word to include all of these things that are really developing Des Moines.”
The project stemmed from Meyer’s quest to discover the role he wanted to play as a full-time photographer. “What I’m realizing is … we all have a niche, a unique thing we do,” Meyer says. For him, that niche is “showcasing the people who make the city what it is. … I want to help tell (their) stories through amazing pictures.”
Meyer, who is married and has a 20-month-old daughter, gives up a lot of Saturdays, a steady paycheck and the stability of a consistent 9-to-5 schedule to pursue #makedesmoines as part of his photography business. He walks into each shoot without preconceptions or a plan, which he says keeps the experience spontaneous and authentic: “The dialogue before a shoot usually goes like this: ‘Where do you usually sit?’ ‘Right here.’ ‘Then that’s where we will shoot; let’s do it.’ ”
Driven to capture the essence of each person’s story, Meyer has just one chance to get it right. “You always leave a shoot feeling like you left the trophy fish in the stream,” he says. “You wonder, ‘What did I miss?’ But that’s the beauty of it. There’s no reshoot. I’ve just got to get the shot.”
Although the makers are involved in diverse endeavors—from fashion design to yoga, cooking to drumming—most have made sacrifices to pursue their passions, Meyer says, as most also have full-time jobs and many have families. “There’s a cool dichotomy going on here,” he says. “You live in the middle of your sacrifice for the love of what you make. You might get a break, but then it’s back to the grind. No one’s getting rich.”
Meet four of the makers below. Meyer plans to display photos from #makedesmoines at an exhibit this winter (details weren’t available as of press time).
Learn more at justinsalemmeyer.com or follow him on Instagram at @justinsalemmeyer.
Sarah McCoy
Letterpress and Design
While studying for a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design at the University of Iowa, Sarah McCoy signed up for a letterpress printing course offered by the university’s Center for the Book, a program that provides training in bookbinding, paper making, printing and calligraphy. “After the first hand crank of a press, I was hooked,” she says.
Today, McCoy owns The Permanent Collection, a letterpress printing and design business. Her studio occupies her entire garage and part of her basement, where she has a Vandercook SP-15 proof press she bought in 2007, plus machines dating back to 1916, 1923 and 1940. She also has smaller presses and an assortment of old engravings and inks. “There really isn’t a way to describe what it is like to see your designs inked and run on a press for the first time,” says the 38-year-old McCoy, an assistant professor of graphic design at Drake University and the mother of two children. “The interaction between ink and paper is beautiful (and) serendipitous, and each print is unique.”
“There isn’t a blueprint for what I am doing, and I don’t think I can be categorized,” she adds. “I straddle too many areas: art design, academics and commercial work. I just continue to forge ahead, explore and work hard.”
Find out more at thepermanentcollection.net or follow McCoy on Instagram at @thepcpress.
Adam Tweedy
Axe Restoration
After attempting to split firewood with a dull, worn axe, Adam Tweedy and three of his friends—Erich Bockman, Andrew Willoughby and Asher Connelly—decided to study its construction to see if they could restore the ax themselves. Turns out, they could, which led them in 2012 to establish Fontenelle Supply Co. Based in Tweedy’s Beaverdale garage, the company not only refurbishes vintages axes but also produces handmade leather goods, such as wallets and axe covers.
To restore the axes, Tweedy and his co-founders employ an age-old process, using antiquated hand tools, such as wood rasps, drawknives and spokeshaves, to reshape the wooden handles. A vinegar bath removes any corrosion, diamond grit stones sharpen the edge, and linseed oil and beeswax protect the axe head from rust and ensure a secure fit.
The 25-year-old Tweedy believes the term “maker” fits him perfectly because it encompasses his entrepreneurial and restoration skills in one word. “Being a maker, to me, is sort of a lifestyle; either you have some urge to tinker and create and you’re inspired by the things you interact with, or you don’t,” says Tweedy, who hopes the business eventually can turn into a full-time job for him and his partners. “We know we’re building for the future and are more than willing to sacrifice a few sleepless nights along the way. … My wife, Sam, knows how to saddle stitch, so there are a lot of nights we just sit in front of the TV sewing wallets or sheaths.”
You can buy Fontenelle’s axes on its website and find its leather goods at Fugitive Apparel Co. in the East Village. Visit fontenellesupply.co or follow the company on Instagram at @fontenellesupplyco.
Elaine Hagenberg
Composing
In the past six years, award-winning composer Elaine Hagenberg has written some 25 choral pieces; this month, Hinshaw Music is releasing the “Elaine Hagenberg Choral Series.” She’s built these impressive credentials while also teaching choir at Iowa Christian Academy and caring for her four children.
“Composing is a creative process, but it’s also a strict discipline,” says Hagenberg, who fell in love with choral music in high school and earned a degree in music education from Drake University. “After a full day of teaching and caring for my young family, I spend many evenings composing and editing my music.”
Texts like poetry or Scripture typically kindle an idea for a choral piece. “Then I wait for the spark of inspiration,” she says. “Sometimes it happens quickly, but oftentimes it takes weeks, even months. When it happens, it consumes me and I am constantly looking for fragments of time to work and write down ideas.” Once she has an idea for the basic melody, Hagenberg sketches the notes out on staff paper and then moves to the piano, where she continues to outline the harmonies. Eventually she uses notation software to edit each detail of the song, which, she says, “can take months of work.”
Hagenberg, 34, believes music connects with people by “stirring something deep inside, which allows us to feel and express what words alone cannot.”
Visit elainehagenberg.com.
Christopher Ford
Songwriting and Music Promotion
What started off as a career in electrical engineering for Christopher Ford quickly gave way to his childhood love of writing and performing music. Now the leader of his own band, Christopher the Conquered, Ford also is dedicated to growing the Des Moines and Ames music scenes through his work with the Iowa Arts Council, for which he was a 2014 fellow.
Ford keeps a notebook of ideas to generate lyrics for the songs he writes and refers to most of them as “shower thoughts,” or ideas gleaned from observation and experiences that pop into his head during the day. As he puts his ideas down on paper, the rhyme and beat start to come naturally, he says.
When he’s not writing, he’s making recordings—his latest album, “I’m Giving Up on Rock and Roll,” is scheduled to be released this summer—rehearsing and traveling to shows. “When I’m on the road, the day is like, wake up wherever I am, usually in somebody’s house, hang with them a bit, say goodbye, drive to the next town … find somewhere to sit on a computer for a bit to catch up on email or projects I’m working on,” says Ford, 29. “Then sound check, dinner, show and beer.”
Learn more about Ford and his band at christophertheconquered.com or follow them on Instagram at @ctconquered.
