About the Temple Team

James Gwertzman, Lead Artist
I felt called to build the temple this year after a dear friend lost her partner to pancreatic cancer. I walked beside her throughout his illness and after his passing, and in doing so came to better understand the quiet power of simply holding space and witnessing grief. As a society, we often struggle to make room for profound emotion, and those who are grieving can feel isolated. The Temple is one of the few places where grief is not only welcomed, but shared. I am deeply honored—and humbled—by the responsibility of helping create that space for our community.

Building this year’s temple also marks a meaningful transition in my professional life. Drawn to the intersection of art and technology, I have spent the past 25 years working in digital entertainment. Over time, however, I have felt increasingly called toward creating experiences rooted in physical presence and human connection. Bringing the Prairie of Possibilities and the Moonlight Library to Burning Man brought me incredible joy. Following this year’s temple build, I plan to focus professionally on creating immersive, real-world artworks that invite reflection, wonder, and connection.

Annie Locke Scherer, Architect
I am proud to serve as architect for the 2026 Temple. Bringing over a decade of experience in large-scale art builds, my work focuses on using parametric design and digital fabrication to translate conceptual visions into buildable reality.

In addition to working on the 2018 Burning Man Temple (Galaxia), my past projects include major builds at Borderland, Scandinavia’s regional burn, notably the 2024 effigy Protea and the 2025 permanent installation Bayt al-Noor. I hold a PhD in architectural technologies with research focus on creating doubly-curved forms from flat sheet material – expertise that is central to this year’s Temple design.

Apart from the exciting technicalities of building parametric forms on playa, I am driven by the Temple’s unique ability to gather people from all over the world in a collective, shared experience. I have always resonated with the idea that ‘grief is love with no place to go‘ and its a profound honor to help build a space capable of holding the weight, love and stories of our community.

Erin O’Brien, Project Manager

I have been burning since 2008 and I am thrilled to be a part of the Temple for my lucky 13th time creating art on playa. I love cultivating amazing teams of artists, engineers, developers, fabricators, and producers together to collaborate on community-enhancing projects. Bringing complicated concepts to life while fostering a fun, positive team environment is why I do what I do!

I will be bringing groundedness and reverence for our shared skies to this build.

Sabrina Miller, Technical Project Manager

I first attended Burning Man in 2025 and was fortunate to connect with James and the Moonlight Collective. It was an incredible experience bringing the Moonlight Library to the playa and get to witness and experience how the community engaged with the art.

When I first entered Temple last year, I was overcome with emotion and gratitude for the openness and vulnerability of all the stories shared by the community. This is not an easy time in the world but I believe what we need is more community. Temple of the Moon is that space where we can collectively share our emotions and come together to build something incredible.

I am deeply drawn to creating an environment where people are able to be the best version of themselves and perform their best work. As I worked on the library with the incredible team James had built, my confidence in my own ability to do that grew significantly. I am excited to continue this growth journey with the Temple crew.

Tim Priest, Build Lead

Building the temple is an act of service and also of transformation. The world needs this right now, more than ever before; a place where the entire Burning Man community can come together for quiet introspection, release and healing. This will be my third Temple build. I am honored to be able to be a part of this community as we create the space we all need to continue our healing journeys.

Sarah McManus, Co-Build Lead

I’ve been burning since 2018, but I started building Temples in 2023.

Volunteering gave me more than just construction skills; it gave me a sense of shared purpose. There is a specific joy in working hard with people I love, and I’ve rarely felt as connected as I do in the dust with this crew.

I’m looking forward to expanding my craft this year and helping new builders find that same connection. I’m honored to be back. My intention is to stay kind, curious, and open to whatever the build brings.

Boots, Co-Build Lead

Hi, I’m Boots. I’m a recovering tech worker. My first temple build was Basura Sagrada in 2009, then Temple of Grace 2014, and I worked on Temple of the Deep last year. My intentions this year are to continue learning, share knowledge, help our community grow, and enjoy the process.

Peter Garber, Playa Build Co-Lead

I have been building temples since 2022, and I have found that the temple is what we make it, and you are going to get more out of it than what you put into it. I am excited to step into the leadership role this year, and share my experience, and iconic lip sunscreen with this year’s playa build crew.

Morgan “Double Tap” McClure, Community Lead

I attended my first burn in 2022 and immediately found myself asking, “That was cool—how can I do more?” I signed up for the first art project I saw, which happened to be the Temple of the Heart, and I’ve been hooked on temple building ever since.

I love both the hands-on work—especially getting to play with power tools—and the incredible sense of support and connection that comes from this community. I’m excited and grateful to be returning as the Community Lead for the Temple of the Moon.

Renée LeBlanc, “Renegade,” Fundraising Lead 

I am passionate about cultivating a culture of philanthropy within the Burning Man community — building on the principles of Gifting, Participation, and Communal Effort, to bring resources to support art and artists.

As a philanthropic advisor for over 20 years, I have had the privilege of helping people connect their resources to causes that matter deeply to them. Joining the temple team as Lead Fundraiser in 2024 felt like a natural extension of that work.  I believe wholeheartedly that those who help fund the temple are temple builders too. Their generosity makes this space possible for all of Black Rock City — and that gift, like the temple itself, belongs to everyone.

Kama Wybieralska, Lighting Lead

I am a lighting and product designer. I see light as a primary creator of the atmosphere and one of the most fundamental elements shaping how space is perceived.

My background spans lighting design, product design, and visual identity, allowing me to work fluidly across scales, from architectural environments to bespoke light objects. Alongside my architectural lighting practice, I design light installations and objects for cultural projects and festivals.

I am truly humbled and excited to be joining the team and to contribute to the design of the Temple.

Natalia Fedulova, Community Co-Lead

Ceremonies, parties, human shenanigans and more!