50 Faces of Oakridge celebrates diversity of neighborhood as part of 50th anniversary
To help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oakridge Neighborhood, artist Robert Moore is having a special one-night display on New Year’s Eve. The project, 50 Faces of Oakridge, will be projected on the three-story side of Oakridge’s Silver Oaks Senior Living Homes facing the 1300 block of Keosauqua Way and Interstate 235. Fifty photos of Oakridge Neighborhood residents taken by Paige Peterson Photography will be illuminated on the building from 6 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31. Oakridge President and CEO Teree Caldwell-Johnson said the project will show the “beautiful diversity of residents we impact every day.” Caldwell-Johnson called it a “fitting recap of 2020 reminding us of the importance of all lives.” The project is similar to Moore’s “Harvesting Humanity” project, which gained widespread attention earlier this year when he embraced the Black Lives Matter movement by displaying huge images of George Floyd, Rosa Parks and Malcolm X on Dallas County grain silos. Oakridge Neighborhood provides programs to help families become successful and financially independent. It is one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Des Moines, with 66% of its residents being immigrants and refugees from 23 countries.