Spillover II

Spillover is a public artwork by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. It is installed in Atwater Park in Shorewood, WI. It depicts an 8.5-foot crouching man whose open form is made of steel letters. It is on a 2-foot concrete base, and was publicly dedicated on September 21, 2010.

Spillover is composed of steel letters that are tack welded together. In Plensa's words, "The letters that form the open framework suggest that language is our primary tool for experiencing the world and each other, and that we are, essentially, both limited and empowered by this abstract means of translating our experiences." The work, on a concrete base at the intersection of Capitol Drive and Lake Drive, is situated with the figure looking out onto Lake Michigan. Illuminated from within, its nighttime glow acts like a beacon in Atwater Park.

Spillover is the first artwork acquired as part of the Village of Shorewood's public art initiative, begun in 2001 by the Shorewood Public Art Committee. Russell Bowman, former director of the Milwaukee Art Museum and current Chicago art consultant, assisted the committee in choosing Plensa's work. Jaume Plensa was present at the sculpture's dedication in September 2010.