Pier Signature Art

Named an Architectural Digest Innovator for “changing the very essence of urban spaces,” Janet Echelman's work defies categorization. Echelman was commissioned to design a monumental aerial sculpture for the Pier District. A Tampa Bay native, her work has been celebrated for enlivening cities on five continents. She creates experiential sculptures that transform wind and light.

Among Echelman’s inspirations are historic postcards featuring local beachgoers with striped parasols, and the natural forms of barnacle colonies underneath the Pier.

Janet Echelman Proposed Artwork
Janet Echelman Proposed Artwork
Janet Echelman

Janet Echelman

Janet Echelman is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Harvard University Loeb Fellowship, and the Aspen Institute Crown Fellowship. Her TED talk, “Taking Imagination Seriously” has been translated into 35 languages with more than 2 million views. Ranked number one on Oprah Magazine’s “List of 50 Things that Make You Say Wow!” she recently received the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Visual Arts, honoring “the greatest innovators in America today.”