In the wake of controversy over a sculpture that some say is anti-Semitic, the public art piece is being removed to be restored, according to the village of Shorewood.
After a blog post several days ago from a visitor to Milwaukee indicated the sculpture’s random letters could be read to spell epithets against Jews, the issue spread through social media. The village then issued a statement late Friday, Nov.13, 2015, indicating it would remove and restore the work, ”as soon as logistically possible, so that such interpretation of the letters will not diminish the grandeur of the work or the generosity of the gift.”
“Jaume Plensa has dedicated his career to creating works that bring people from all cultures together through artwork that asserts that our similarities are more important and powerful than our differences,” reads the statement. “We support the artist Jaume Plensa and the gallery who will be removing and restoring the work, as soon as logistically possible, so that such interpretation of the letters will not diminish the grandeur of the work or the generosity of the gift.”
The local Jewish Community Relations Council also issued a statement Friday afternoon after entering into talks with Shorewood officials regarding the sculpture. "The artist and the Village of Shorewood responded swiftly and with great sensitivity. The sculpture will be temporarily removed from the park for restoration immediately," reads the statement from the Council. "We’re grateful for their sensitive handling of this situation."
"They demonstrated great understanding of how deeply offensive it would be to find anti-Jewish – or any hateful — words in a piece of public art," reads the Council statement. "We indeed live in a time in which there is reason for increased sensitivity and awareness. We look forward to celebrating with Shorewood when the sculpture returns to Atwater Park."
Original blog post:
http://goodmenproject.com/…/how-i-discovered-hate-in-plain…/
JS blogger:
http://m.jsonline.com/entertainment/arts/347592511.html
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