Client: Port Of San Diego

Location: San Diego, CA, United States

Completion date: 2010

Project Team

Artist

Michael Stutz

Michael Stutz

Public Art Agent

Allen Tait

Port Of San Diego Public Art

Overview

This hand fabricated bronze sculpture, representing Penelope the wife of Odysseus in the
ancient epic, The Odyssey was located on The Port of San Diego's Embarcadero. Penelope is bolted to a steel-reinforced concrete plinth with a cast wood-grain texture. The plinth features an inscription that reads: Weaving by day, Penelope would be forced to choose a new husband when her tapestry was complete. But all the while she waited, unraveling her work by night, steadfastly sure of Ulysses’ return.

Goals

This was a temporary site, chosen with the understanding that it was scheduled for redevelopment and the sculpture would need to be relocatable. The unused plaza was directly adjacent to the Aircraft Carrier Midway Museum were Penelope could look out to sea like generations of San Diego Military families.

Process

The artist and the Port of San Diego public art committee choose from a group of ideas for an installation. The Penelope face was chosen for it's interactivity, site appropriateness and narrative connection to the port. The port public art advisor, Allen Tait was project manager, and Quikcrete Concrete of Norco, California built the plinth base.