The Reno Star - Reno, NV
N 39° 28.642 W 119° 47.395
11S E 260029 N 4373468
This abstract sculpture sits at the corner of S Virginia Street and S McCarran Blvd in Reno, NV.
Waymark Code: WMJQA2
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 12/17/2013
Views: 3
Travelers along S Virginia Street, S McCarran Blvd and Hwy 395 (traveling north) will definitely notice this tall, red, abstract sculpture that was gifted to Reno in 2012. There's a plaque monumented on the north side of the base of the sculpture that reads:
The Reno Star celebrates the Great Basin
Desert and the Nevada night sky.
This landmark is a gift to the citizens of Reno.The Reno Star
2012, Repurposed Steel
Mark Szulgit, Lead Artist
Brooke Z. Erdman, Collaborating Artist In partnership with:
The City of Reno, the Reno Arts & Culture Commission
and the Nevada Department of Transportation.
With generous support from:
The William Thornton Family, Kishan Group Inc., The
Diamond Vault, Kidder Family Trust, Reno Iron Works,
Stantec Engineering, and Black Rock Solar |
The red steel 'rays' tower above the viewer, about 40 feet, reaching for the sky. At night, it must be a sight to behold.
After doing some research on the artist, I discovered that this sculpture was part of the ever-popular Burning Man Art & Culture Festival in 2012. Mark Szulgit was commissioned by the City of Reno Public Art Fund and private donors to relocate this sculpture from the festival to its current location. The sculpture contains 24 red steel spines that protrude from its 10 foot base and look much like a colorful sea anemone. Szulgit has a personal website of his work and includes pictures of this sculpture from Burning Man.
I personally feel this sculpture is a great addition to this part of Reno and would welcome the sight of more sculptures in this city, since most of this area is starving for more art and culture. Unfortunately, most of the culture one sees in Reno is in the shape of a casino, in all its gaudy nature.