In under two years, CSULB graduate Matt Wedel has already established a name for himself in the art world. After recently graduating with a master’s in fine arts, Wedel has accepted a job offer for the next year teaching ceramics in Canada.
Wedel will be teaching at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Canada starting this fall. He said that the weather and scenery could be inspirational for his work. “It’s a beautiful environment, beautiful town,” he said.
Wedel’s piece, “Child,” a 16-feet 2-inches tall yellow baby weighing 2,150 pounds had been on display at the Long Beach Museum of Art for almost a year but was removed on Monday.
“We were happy to host Matt’s ‘Child’ piece at the museum,” said Ed Fosmire, director of development and marketing at LBMA.
Fosmire said it was a great opportunity for Wedel to show his work at a professional venue. Wedel’s artwork was proven valuable when a 51-inch-long, 47-inch-tall orange dairy cow sold for $6,100 last September.
While Wedel was creating “Child,” Ron Nelson, the director of the LBMA, began making daily visits to the CSULB art department to check on the progress of the baby sculpture.
Nelson, an admirer of Wedel’s work, said it took about three to four weeks for Wedel to complete ‘Child,’ and that Wedel was also working on other pieces in between for his collection as part of his graduate studies.
Nelson said that it was after receiving a travel scholarship to Rome that he thought of using ceramic to create large-scale pieces. “I’m so in awe of his fearlessness,” Nelson said. In a statement on Wedel’s Web site, MattWedel.com, he said, “I begin as if rules are non-existent,” said Wedel in regards to his larger pieces.
Nelson said Wedel had incredible patience while creating enormous pieces like “Child.” “He’s such a dynamo, but so low-key,” Nelson said. The museum is considering adding one of Wedel’s pieces to its permanent collection, hoping to put it near the education building in the back of the museum to be surrounded by vegetation.
The piece in discussion is one of Wedel’s organic inspired sculptures based on cactus. “He’s producing faster than Mother Nature could,” said Nelson.
Wedel is hopeful that his piece is chosen by the museum, “It would help fund my trip to Canada,” he said. Nelson hopes that eventually Wedel will make his way back to Long Beach.
“He’s such a real local treasure at this point,” Nelson said. Wedel also hopes to return to the Long Beach area someday. “Hopefully I come back, I love L.A.,” he said.