The BELIEVE art sculpture, part of a word series that has become a fixture at the annual Burning Man event, is being installed today at City Plaza, next to Reno City Hall. It will be on temporary display until the week of July 14, according to artist and Reno resident Jeff Schomberg.

“I’m really excited to be working with the City of Reno and the arts community,” says Schomberg, who creates the large steel sculptures along with fellow artist Laura Kimpton. “It’s an honor to have BELIEVE displayed on the plaza.”

The sculpture is one of a series of words that have been featured at Burning Man for the past five years, joining MOM, LOVE, OINK and EGO.

“BELIEVE creates an inspirational community gathering space and photo opportunity, which will highlight downtown Reno’s river corridor and our partnership with local artists and Burning Man,” says Christine Fey, Resource Development and Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Reno.

The City of Reno is asking for the community’s help to keep BELIEVE in Reno. Donate here.

For more information about the City of Reno’s Arts & Culture programs, visit Reno.gov. Extra info about the artists and sculptures is below, under the images.

 Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg have been collaborating on their Monumental Words series that began back in 2009 at the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada. “LOVE” is the third word of six in a series that includes MOM, OINK, EGO, BELIEVE and BE. Each word can mean different things for different people. Viewers are encouraged to interact with each word on their own terms. The words often evoke varied emotions and interpretations.  

Kimpton and Schomberg’s Monumental Words have been displayed at the Sundance Film Festival, TEDx Conference and the University of California Riverside. In 2012, one of the “LOVE” sculptures was purchased by Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, California as part of its Permanent Sculpture Collection. Commissions of Monumental Words are included in many prominent private collections across the country.

Articles on and images of Monumental Words have been featured nationally in Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, the Press Democrat, Town and Country, and INC. These installations have been exhibited in Salt Lake City, Reno, Riverside (California mother fucker) and San Francisco, as well as internationally in Puerto Rico and China. They’ve also been included in Exhibitions at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and Santa Rosa Junior College Museum.

Kimpton is a mixed-media artist, painter and sculptor. Locally, she has been included in an Exhibition at the Di Rosa Preserve. She is widely exhibited in museums and galleries across the nation with major shows in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Texas. She lives and works in Sausalito.

Schomberg is a sculptor and installation artist. His unique style incorporates welded steel, stone and found objects. He has exhibited in New York, San Francisco and Nevada. He lives and works in Reno.

For more information, visit jeffschomberg.com or laurakimpton.com.

There are two outdoor art galleries mentioned in this story that I highly recommend. Di Rosa in Napa contains more than 2,000 artworks, including some of David Best’s original, non-Burning Man art cars (that’s right, he is an accomplished artist outside of Burning Man, who creates much more than just Temples). Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa features an incredible outdoor sculpture garden, with several pieces that will be familiar to Burners.