




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.