Flower Tree, Matt Wedel’s ceramic sculpture commissioned for the Hollywood Park Casino entrance of the new facility, is literally splashed with color. The permanent sculpture is situated on a marble-clad pedestal, an intentional contrast with the black and white pavers of the Casino entrance. This artwork is a major element of the Casino’s percent for the arts requirements set by the City.

The gaming property developer and an area art consultant commissioned regional artists’ artworks. Wedel’s graduate school training and local gallery led to the commission. Flower Tree is the largest artwork in the Casino’s public art collection.

Matt Wedell explored the properties of clay and the elements of chance involved in glazing in his father’s pottery studio. Wedel’s art explores the mythological recreation of the world in clay. His intricate models of vegetation, minerals, and animals seem familiar, but reference roots in the underground. His visually complex forms are playfully splashed with saturated color. Wedel received his BFA from Chicago’s School of the Art Institute and his MFA from CSU Long Beach. He has exhibited in solo and group shows in London and Los Angeles. His artwork is in public collections across the continent.

Date: 2016
Collection: Public Art in Non-City Spaces
Owner: Hollywood Park Casino LLC
Medium: Sculpture
Material: Glazed Ceramic

Location
3883 W. Century Blvd.
Inglewood, California 90303