Cherry blossom sculpture approved by City Council for Sacramento waterfront

Early draft rendering of proposal sculpture by Reed Madden.

Aerial view rendering of Matsui Park with the Hanami Line in full bloom courtesy of Sacramento Tree Foundation.

Sacramento, CA (Oct. 4, 2023) - A 20-foot tall sculpture that evokes an open cherry blossom will anchor the new grove of cherry trees coming to the Sacramento River waterfront in Robert T. Matsui Park.

The Sacramento City Council Tuesday approved a contract with Reed Madden Designs of Richmond for the new piece of public art, part of a larger renovation for the park just north of downtown which will include more than 100 Japanese cherry blossom trees (referred to as the Hanami Line), a new performance space, and other landscaping improvements.

“Public spaces are a wonderful opportunity to showcase something beautiful and tell a story,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “I am so excited to see this whole project come together.”

Coming About in Tiburon, CA. Image courtesy of Reed Madden Designs.

Detail work on the trunk/stem of the proposed sculpture from Reed Madden.

Jeffery Reed and Jennifer Madden, both architects, are a married couple who operate a metalworking shop in Richmond. They have created public art for many Bay Area cities, including San Mateo, Tiburon, Richmond, Palo Alto, and Berkeley. They also have work in Florida, Arizona, Southern California, and Iowa.

Over 90 artists and design teams applied for the Hanami Line public art commission. The project total for the new sculpture is $280,000 and is paid for in part by a donation from the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

“It’s a pleasure working with this team. Jennifer and Jeff care deeply about their work in Sacramento and have been connecting with our community, particularly our Japanese-American community, in an ongoing dialogue that has influenced the design of the sculpture,” said Donald Gensler, manager of Art in Public Places for the City of Sacramento.

The initial concept presented by Reed Madden celebrates the Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing (Hanami 花見) with a sculpture that can both be a tree and an oversized cherry blossom flower. The ‘blossom’ will turn gently in the wind and will have colorful LED lights and colored glass that will provide pools of light and color regardless of the time of day.

The artists estimates the sculpture will be completed and installed in April of 2024.