In most of the installations for Lights on Tampa, artists have illuminated the intrinsic beauties of already-interesting buildings like the "Cubes" at Rivergate Tower and Plant Hall. But whaddya do with a parking garage? We'll find out Friday night. Sculptor Janet Echelman — Tampa-raised, Harvard-trained, internationally acclaimed — is about to wage a "sculptural intervention" on the dreary Poe Garage at Polk and Ashley, reshaping the space with 3-D scrims and a "shadow drawing." She's worked her magic on unprepossessing sites before: Her ethereal mesh construction, "She Changes," floats above a traffic circle in Portugal. (She's also been commissioned to create a 9/11 memorial for Hoboken, N.J.) Mayor Pam Iorio will flip the switch on the Poe installation at 7 p.m. on Friday; festivities also include food, kids' activities and music by d'ubiquitous D'Visitors. Echelman's piece, which remains on view for six months, is the last of the 2006 LOT works to make its debut; a new batch will light up the night during Super Bowl Month (aka January, 2009). Opening Festivities: Fri., Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m., Curtis Hixon Park, adjacent to the Poe Parking Garage, Ashley Drive and Polk Street, downtown Tampa.
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