A public art committee may set criteria and then issue a recommendation on what to do with the controversial “Spillover II” sculpture, according to a Dec. 3, 2015 village memo.
Members of the Shorewood Public Art Committee met Friday morning, Dec. 4, at the Shorewood Village Center, 3920 N. Murray Ave., and the sculpture was the first item on the agenda.
It was a Nov. 8 blog post by a visitor to Milwaukee that indicated the sculpture’s random letters could be read to spell epithets against Jews. The issue spread on social media and an art gallery representing the artist removed the public art from Atwater Park Nov. 14. The village of Shorewood owns the sculpture and will decide what to do with it, keeping in mind the Jewish community, the original anonymous donor, the people of Shorewood and the artist, according to officials.
Committee members on Friday discussed the memo, written by Chairman Dick Eschner, which states that the committee may be called upon to recommend a list of criteria to the village board, along with the committee’s “evaluation and recommendation.”
The board expects to have a public process before making a decision and the goal is to make a decision by Feb. 1, according to Eschner. Options include asking the artist to adjust the letters or leaving the sculpture untouched. Village officials have said they do not expect to have to cover any related expenses.
The random letters in the “Spillover II” sculpture can be read to say, “Cheap Jew,” though some point out the word “Jew” is above and to the side from “Cheap” and to make the “P” one must combine a “D” with another letter. The artist, Jaume Plensa, was named a semi-finalist in 2013 to create the Ohio Statehouse Holocaust Memorial in Columbus. He has also designed sculptures for Millennium Park in Chicago.
At the Shorewood Public Art Committee meeting on Friday, Dec. 4, there was some discussion of the whole dustup, with Eschner noting there has been good communication with Jewish community leaders. The local Jewish Community Relations Council has issued a statement indicating the artist and Shorewood leaders have responded with "great sensitivity."
Shorewood Public Art Committee members in attendance were generally supportive of the sculpture, viewing it as an icon for the community, but were also thinking about grappling with the controversy.
Jenny Heyden, a non-voting member of the committee, said the blog post was inflammatory and is “a feather” in the blogger’s cap. “It was a gross misinterpretation,” she said.
“This is a true pickle,” Heyden added, noting the situation would be a good case study on a village facing controversy, perhaps for a graduate school to review.
“It’s a tough position to be in if it’s offensive to somebody,” said committee member Don Berg. He noted that if someone creates a sculpture of a pope out of condoms, it falls under the umbrella of art.
“If something happens that causes someone pain or discomfort do you have to change the world for that?”
Loading ...