A Pier to Connect Us All: Janet Echelman

On a morning stroll through Vinoy Park, weaving through joggers and the friendly barks of leashed dogs, a particularly stunning sunrise turns the Tampa Bay water gold. Across the water the pier’s absence is evident, as St. Petersburg’s residents dream of a new pier to connect us even more closely to the water.

With the current completion date for the pier set for early 2019, the planning process is in full swing, with many exciting developments. Not the least of which is news that famed local artist, Janet Echelman, is returning to add one of her whimsical signature sculptures to the pier’s design.

Echelman’s work and her story are winding, woven testaments to the power of interconnectedness. She grew up in Tampa and graduated from Plant High School. She first became involved with art as a youngster through music. Echelman studied classical piano and entered the Florida Orchestra concerto competition at 14. While playing with a full orchestra was an honor, being on stage ultimately gave her stomach pains. She learned to love creating art in private and sharing it with the world once finished. Even though she shied away from the spotlight, she said, “Growing up, I longed for a sense of connection in the public spaces.”

Making of an Artist

Janet Echelman
Janet Echelman

The now 51-year-old Echelman is still linked to the Tampa Bay area by family, and says she holds many fond memories of visiting her great aunt, who lived in St. Pete Beach, at Christmas. She describes jumping over waves in the foamy surf, adding, “I loved it so much; we looked forward to it all year.” Later on, during a summer in college, she interned as a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times, remembering her daily ascent over the Skyway bridge in a yellow VW bug with no air conditioning—a portrait of Florida so clear, it could be on a postcard.

Echelman went on to graduate from Harvard in 1987 with B.A. in Visual and Environmental Studies. According to her TED talk, entitled Taking Imagination Seriously, she was subsequently denied admission by seven art schools. So, she travelled the globe instead, studying ancient arts firsthand, such as calligraphy in Hong Kong and textile techniques in Bali. After the unfortunate loss of her home in Bali to a fire, she returned to Harvard to teach.

After seven years as artist-in-residence at Harvard, Echelman got the travel itch again. In 1997 she earned her M.F.A. in painting from Bard College and a Master’s degree in Psychology from Lesley University. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to provide painting exhibitions in India and she set out for the village of Mahabalipuram known for its ornate granite shrines and monuments. When her painting supplies never arrived, Echelman didn’t throw her hands up, but did what she does best—utilized her art to connect with people. She observed fishermen along the Bay of Bengal piling their nets in the evening. Echelman saw a lightness and freedom in the nets’ structure and was inspired. Collaborating with the village fishermen, she created her “Bellbottoms” project, displaying her hand-knotted sculptures on poles along the beach, which allowed the wind to breathe into the nets and give them infinite shapes.

From here, Echelman continued to perfect upon this approach. She began mechanically weaving the same material used to construct NASA’s spacesuits. She moved on to create a permanent installation in a roundabout in Portugal titled “She Changes”, which was said to invoke imagery of an industrial smoke cloud, water ripple and Portuguese lace. With an openness to using technology to overcome unique limitations to her large-scale, woven masterpieces, Echelman set out connect communities across the globe in new ways. She has work displayed in Vancouver, Greensboro, Phoenix, Seattle, London, New York, Singapore and Sydney.

Echelman’s artwork is hard to imagine without seeing it for yourself. They are typically organic forms made of hundreds of feet of draped, braided nylon and UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), often appearing two-toned in the daylight, white and red. The nets are suspended on wires from nearby buildings, allowing them to hover mysteriously over viewers. Once night falls, colorful LED lighting gives the form new life.

Photo by: Ulysse Lemerise
Photo by: Ulysse Lemerise

Her pieces draw from inspiration that often involves a whole community. For instance, her 2016 piece “1.8” used computer- rendering technology to mimic the shape of a tsunami in Japan. The title referred to the time, in microseconds, the day had been shortened by the earthquake that caused the life-changing wave. The immortalized tsunami gave the community a place to memorialize their experience. The interconnected fabric of the structure reflected the community members who drew strength from each other.

Many questions remain as to what Echelman will create here in St. Pete, as city leaders are still in the analysis and budgeting phase of the project, but the possibilities are exciting. How will Echelman distill our city’s spirit in sculpture?

The artist told Green Bench Monthly: “I have turned to the specific history of the specific site, Spa Beach, which has a century’s worth of rich, cultural history. This place is about leisure and whimsy, and I’ve been inspired by patterns and colors of parasols I found in historic photos taken at Spa Beach.”

The excitement to see her creation come to life continues to grow. This will be an elaborate homecoming for an artist who has literally tied communities together around the world. One thing is certain: Echelman’s innovative sculpture at the new St. Pete pier will reflect our city, by design. “When I search for inspiration, I look all around me,” she said.

For more information and to view more photos of Echelman’s work, visit www.echelman.com.

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Nehemiah Warner
Nehemiah Warner is new to the GBM team. He writes and manages grants for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, and wants to see real change in the world for the better. His passion is his family and friends, and relationships in general. He likes walking, running, reading, camping, taking trips just to drink coffee and beer in another city, and complaining about things of which he is in full control. He also loves picnics at the beach and budgeting. His happy place is on the couch cuddling with his growing family and his temperamental cat.