DREAM Sculpture

Details

Title:  DREAM 

Artists:  Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg 

Acquired in 2015, relocated and dedicated in 2024 

Partners: Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, City of Arlington, Downtown Arlington, Bob Pruitt, private donors.

DREAM 

DREAM is a striking, large-scale artwork consisting of five gigantic letters spelling D-R-E-A-M. It is constructed of heavy sheet-metal steel, with each letter standing roughly 12 feet tall and about 4 feet deep. The entire sculpture spans a total of 54 feet. Cut-out bird silhouettes in a repeating pattern adorn each letter, giving the heavy industrial materials a sense of movement and lightness. At night, the installation glows with a changing color scheme of light. 

In many ways, DREAM inspires play and interaction, celebrates Downtown as the Arlington Cultural District, and provides thoughtful symbolism in its position at the highest point of Rotary Dream Park. 

By day the flying bird cut-outs cast dynamic shadows, and by night the glowing word DREAM becomes a beacon within the Downtown landscape. Downtown is the city’s historic center, the place where Arlington itself began as dreams for a better life. The piece also invites residents and visitors to literally step inside their own big dreams while inviting all to reflect: what can we accomplishif we dream together?  

History of DREAM 

The genesis of DREAM began when Bob Pruitt, long-time Arlington advocate, attended the Burning Man festival in 2013 where he saw the “big word” sculpture BELIEVE by Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg. The experience stayed with him, and when the City of Arlington launched a branding initiative as the “American Dream City,” Pruitt saw an opportunity. His passion led to a shared vision of bringing a new monumental word-sculpture to his city: DREAM. 

 After successful fundraising efforts, fueled by a lead gift from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, DREAM was acquired in 2015. The sculpture was placed in its temporary home in Downtown Arlington adjacent to the Levitt Pavilion’s Founders Plaza, on an empty lot owned by the First Baptist Church Arlington.  

Over the next few years, a purpose-built park was envisioned to become the sculpture’s permanent home, and in December 2024, the community came together to celebrate its completion: Rotary Dream Park in Downtown Arlington. The .619-acre park, located on Center Street just north of the Union Pacific Railroad, features two large-scale interactive sculptures: DREAM andBoundless. Other amenities included a public gathering space, bench seating, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, grass-sloped open spaces, and colorful lighting to highlight the DREAM sculpture.  

Now, DREAM has become a cultural destination as well as a metaphor for dreaming big together.  

About the Artists

Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg are longtime artistic collaborators whose monumental public sculptures have become icons of connection in cities across the United States. Their partnership began at Burning Man, where Kimpton’s conceptual vision met Schomberg’s mastery of metal fabrication to create the now-famous “Monumental Word” series. These towering steel sculptures spell out words like LOVE, BELIEVE, and DREAM. Each piece invites viewers to step inside the letters and interact with language as a communal experience. 

Based in California, Kimpton brings a deeply personal dimension to her work. With degrees in art education, fine art, and psychology, she explores themes of liberation and transformation, often using words and symbols to celebrate human resilience. Schomberg, whose background is rooted in sculpture and engineering, translates these ideas into large-scale metal forms that balance strength and grace.   

Together, Kimpton and Schomberg transform industrial materials into invitations for contemplation and joy. Their art turns language into architecture, creating spaces where people can gather, photograph, and reflect. What began as a desert installation has evolved into a body of work that bridges art, emotion, and public life, reminding us that sometimes the simplest words carry the greatest weight. 

Websites:  jeffschombergarts.com and artsy.net/artist/laura-kimpton  

About the Downtown Arlington Public Art Program  

The Downtown Arlington Public Art Program seeks to engage and inspire our community through art in public spaces. This sculpture was made possible in part by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, Bob Pruitt, the City of Arlington, Downtown Arlington, and private donors. To find more public art in Downtown Arlington, visit the links at the bottom of this webpage. Downtown Arlington is the Arlington Cultural District.