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The new City of Reno Public Safety Center now serves as the headquarters for the Reno Police Department (RPD). Located in the heart of our downtown, the building’s central location helps ensure RPD’s swift emergency response and makes it convenient for residents to access. The site was formerly home to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Renovating the existing building provides a more sustainable option, allowing the City to reduce waste while also preserving a rich piece of the Biggest Little City’s history.
The City of Reno is commissioning artists for a series of projects on site of the new Public Safety Center. The City of Reno is looking for projects that take into consideration the history of the site and the unique characteristics of the surrounding environment. However, the theme of the artwork does not need to be directly connected to public safety functions and imagery, or to Reno history.
There are a total of five artistic projects for distinct needs and locations at the new Public Safety Center.
- Public Safety Center Community Engagement Room
- Public Safety Center Outdoor Mural
- Public Safety Center Vestibules
- Public Safety Center Kuenzli Sculpture
- Public Safety Center Plaza Sculpture
Artist Selection
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May 2024 - A nationwide call as a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for three mural opportunities was opened and closed.
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July 2024 - A nationwide call as Request for Qualifications for two exterior sculpture opportunities was opened and closed. Additionally, members of the public were asked to respond to a brief survey about public art in the Kuenzli-Kirman-Sutro neighborhood. An additional survey was launched simultaneously internally for City staff and others who work at the building. All preliminary finalists for the five projects were given the results of these surveys to assist in their presentations at the Public Art Committee meeting(s).
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August 2024 - Reno Arts and Culture Commission (RACC) selected preliminary finalist for the three mural opportunities.
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October 2024 – A total of eight finalist for the mural projects presented at the Public Art Committee meeting
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November 2024 – The RACC recommended Rebecca Wallace, Rafael Blanco and Mauricio Ramirez to proceed as selected artist for the three murals. Additionally, three finalists were selected for the Kuenzli and Plaza sculpture opportunities.
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February 2025 - The six selected finalist for the public art sculptures presented project approaches and early concepts as informed by community surveys.
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March 2025 – The RACC recommended Mark Reigelman and John Fleming to proceed as selected artists for the two sculpture opportunities.
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April 2025 – Rafael Blanco gave a talk titled “Ditching The Studio” detailing his journey in becoming an international public mural artist after his first mural while living in Reno. Reno City Council approved the recommendation for Mark Reigelman as the artist for the Kuenzli Sculpture and John Fleming as the artist for the Plaza Sculpture.
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May 2025 – Rafael Blanco completed the mural in the entry vestibules at the Public Safety Center. Mauricio Ramirez hosted a virtual talk and feedback session on the exterior mural on May 15th, 2025.
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June 2025 - Mauricio Ramirez to begin painting the exterior mural. Mark Reigelman and John Fleming visit Reno on June 25th for a site-visit and community engagement session from 11am to 1pm at the Public Safety Center.
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July 2025 - Mauricio Ramirez completed work on the exterior mural.
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August 2025 - Rebecca Wallace installed her three paneled Mural in the Community Engagement Room.
Selected artists will be expected to work with City staff to conduct community engagement sessions with users of the building and the surrounding neighborhood. The final design of the artwork will be created from input from these sessions.
The Projects
Public Safety Center Community Engagement Room - Artist Selected, Rebecca Wallace
Rebecca Wallace is a muralist and art educator. She has been painting for over twenty-five years, creating murals and showing art throughout the United States. She received her MFA from California College of the Arts and spent a year working for Evans and Brown Mural Company in San Francisco. Her background includes working with incarcerated youth and adults, and over 9 years of teaching art at different Community Colleges. She currently teaches Painting and Drawing at Mendocino College. You can view more of her paintings on her artist website.
Rebecca Wallace surveyed the community to inform the natural elements featured in the painting from wildlife, plants and locations.
Public Safety Center Outdoor Mural - Artist Selected, Mauricio Ramirez
Artist Mauricio Ramirez has painted murals through out the United States and internationally with community as his inspiration and frequent collaborator. You can learn more about the Chicago area artist on his website. Mauricio Ramirez plans to host community engagement sessions with the Reno residents to inform his final design.
“Reno has individuals, especially those who are unique to the communities who I am interested in creating an opportunity to showcase through a mural I would like to symbolically uplift not only some individuals, but of the community as a whole.” - Mauricio Ramirez
Artist Mauricio Ramirez and the City of Reno surveyed the community and worked with stakeholders to identify subject matter that would be meaningful and reflective of the City of Reno and the Reno Police Department.
Public Safety Center Vestibules - Artist Selected, Rafael Blanco
A native of Alicante (Spain), Rafael Blanco is a visual public artist fascinated with identity, human expression, and diversity. As a result, these core elements are often represented throughout his work. Trained as a classical studio painter for more than 15 years, Blanco had his first encounter with public art in 2014 at the Circus Circus Mural Marathon. You can find other examples of his work on the National Bowling Stadium and the University of Nevada, Reno campus where he also earned his MFA in Painting & Drawing. Blanco currently lives in the outskirts of Chicago with his family and continues creating large-scale murals around the country. You can learn more about Rafael Blanco and his work on his website.
Public Safety Center Kuenzli Sculpture - Artist Selected, Mark Reigelman
New York based artist Mark Reigelman creates public art that utilizes research and exploration of community in the design phase of his process. His artwork is a blend of abstraction and literal representation which integrates into civic spaces and reflects the community engagement that informs his designs.
Selected artists/artist teams/design team will be expected to work with the community, City staff, and stakeholders to design the final artwork.
Public Safety Center Plaza Sculpture - Artist Selected, John Fleming
Pacific Northwest based artist John Flemming’s work spans a broad portfolio of art, architecture and conceptual/environmental projects including public site-specific works across seven states. His work is guided by respect for the natural world, reclaimed materials and letting the materials speak for themselves.
Community Input
The Project: For the Plaza sculptural installation in front of the Reno Public Safety Center on Sutro and Kuenzli, artist John Fleming is creating a public artwork depicting the Truckee River inlaid into the paved plaza leading to the entrance of the building. The river will be made of artistic paver tiles featuring stories of the river, poems and/or sayings representing the Truckee River topography in Reno.
Your River Stories: To capture the essence of the river, artist John Fleming is inviting the public to share their river stories. The collection of these stories will be etched into the pavers that represent the Truckee River as it meanders through Reno and the plaza.
How to use this form: All questions are optional. Each question is for a different type of story format such as a written statement, haiku, or poem. Entry form will close on January 2nd, 2026