Installations by six Los Angeles artists were unveiled this week outside Intuit Dome, the L.A. Clippers new home in Inglewood designed by AECOM. Artworks by Refik Anadol, Glenn Kaino, Patrick Martinez, Michael Massenburg, Kyungmi Shin, and Jennifer Steinkamp take center court at the new campus by Hood Design Studio. A seventh piece by Charles Gaines will also soon be released.
The new murals, digital installations, and sculptures were photographed by Iwan Baan and coalesce near other custom pieces at Intuit Dome by renowned artists. World-renowned photographer Glen Luchford was commissioned to create portraits of L.A. Clippers players which will soon be installed inside the arena. Visual artist Jonas Wood designed the L.A. Clippers City Edition uniforms, and the court itself. And when Intuit Dome formally opens in August, an exhibition of photographs by Catherine Opie on loan from MOCA will also be on view for the public.
Gillian Zucker, CEO of Halo Sports & Entertainment, shepherded the project which is meant to invite visitors into a celebration of community. Ruth Berson of Berson Studio provided art consultant services. “Our goal has been to make Intuit Dome’s plaza a special place that brings world-class art to Inglewood and beyond, inviting people to gather and enjoy these artworks in a space that welcomes everyone,” Berson said about the selection process.
“In commissioning these works,” Berson continued, “we started conversations with these extraordinary artists who have deep ties to Los Angeles and together reflect the make-up of the Inglewood community. We showed them the model of the Intuit Dome and its campus. They chose options for their sites, and over the course of a year, they refined their ideas into the major new artworks unveiled today.”
Glenn Kaino’s artwork is called Sails. It’s made of painted steel and wood, and looks like a clipper ship with sails made of basketball backboards. Kaino consulted with Ambassador Andrew Young, an old friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for the commission. Kaino said Sails is meant to convey the important role that basketball has historically played in bringing people together and propelling social justice.
Swoosh by Jennifer Steinkamp illuminates Intuit Dome’s meticulous envelope designed by AECOM. Steinkamp used the surface of the dome to display five animations that fluidly weave around the structure’s geometric panels, lighting up the night sky. Refik Anadol’s Living Arena is another narrative artwork displayed on an LED screen that’s 40 feet tall and 70 feet wide.
Across the way from Living Arena is Same Boat by Patrick Martinez. This piece used neon to recreate a statement by the late Civil Rights leader Whitney M. Young: “We may have all come on different ships but we’re in the same boat now.” The ship reference is meant to tie into and amplify the Clippers’s nautical theme.
On a wall adjacent to Same Boat is a stained glass mosaic by Kyungmi Shin, Spring to Life. This artwork is 23-feet by 8-feet and takes inspiration from Centinela Springs, the now-vanished water source in South L.A. that once nourished the Tongva people’s farming ecosystem.
And last but not least, a massive 25-foot by 100-foot mural by Michael Massenburg greets motorists whizzing by Intuit Dome which features figures of basketball, tennis, and soccer players alongside singers, musicians, and dancers. “The two most profound things that unite people are the arts and sports,” Massenburg said in a statement.
A seventh piece by Gaines will be unveiled at a later date.
