Lights on Tampa is a critically acclaimed and award winning program whose mission is to bring free access to artistic excellence. Its emphasis is on new media technologies and education. Lights On Tampa is informed by successful international models including BEAP (Biennial Electronic Art in Perth), and Lights of Turin.

From an international call to artists, a highly respected jury consisting of Anne Pasternak, Jerry Saltz, and Dave Hickey, recommended a pool of artists to participate in Lights On Tampa 2009. While all will be innovative and experiential, one installation is specific to the Super Bowl in recognition of Tampa hosting Super Bowl XLIII. The intent is to broaden the reach of the arts through Lights On Tampa, and connect with new audience groups. Millions will see all of the installations.

The program is a public/private partnership that reinforces Tampa’s commitment to the arts, technology, and education. It is a cultural and aesthetic event designed to engage, entertain, and educate Tampa’s diverse community.

Lights On Tampa is a biennial program timed to complement a larger community initiative to revitalize and strengthen the downtown core, reinforce the city’s commitments to the arts and technologies, and capitalize on the peak tourist and convention season in Tampa.

Lights On Tampa 2009 brings the work of major contemporary artists to downtown Tampa. Lights On Tampa kicks off on January 10th with a large public event, and the installations will continue to run through February 2nd, in order to reach visitors in Tampa for the 2009 Super Bowl.

Lights On Tampa 2009 sites include: The Tampa Convention Center and Riverwalk, USF Park, Cotanchobee Park, and Fort Brooke Parking Garage. Community members, and visitors will celebrate the opening of Lights On Tampa 2009 through a pedestrian-friendly public event in order to experience each of the destinations.

Lights On Tampa is a public/private partnership that bridges Tampa’s commitment to the arts, technology, and education and offers free access to artistic excellence. It is a cultural and aesthetic event designed to engage, entertain, and educate Tampa’s visitors and diverse community. Lights On Tampa is a biennial program that brings major contemporary artists to downtown Tampa. By focusing on art that is experiential and includes both “low” and “high” tech materials, Lights On Tampa also puts the spotlight on Tampa. Some of these installations will be permanent, some temporary, and some will live only virtually through www.lightsontampa.org.

Lights On Tampa kicks off on January 10th with a large public event, and the installations will continue to run through February 2nd, in order to reach visitors in Tampa for the 2009 Super Bowl. Lights On Tampa 2009 sites include: The Tampa Convention Center and Riverwalk, USF Park, Cotanchobee Park, and Fort Brooke Parking Garage.

Lights On Tampa is an innovative project of the City of Tampa, Art Programs Division which debuted in 2006. The Art Programs Division of the City of Tampa is in partnership with Friends of Tampa Public Art, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization to commission the selected artists to create the installations.

Check back with My Downtown Tampa for the schedule and specific installments. ]]> http://mydowntowntampa.com/2008/12/02/lights-on-tampa-2009/feed/ 0 http://mydowntowntampa.com/2008/11/30/espn-super-bowl-party-downtown/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=espn-super-bowl-party-downtown http://mydowntowntampa.com/2008/11/30/espn-super-bowl-party-downtown/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:55:18 +0000 tommyduncn http://mydowntowntampa.com/?p=207 Jay Cridlin is reporting that ESPN the Magazine’s NEXT Super Bowl party is rumored to be held in the vacant lot at the corner of Jefferson and E Whiting Streets.  Of course, we may not all be able to get in:

This is an exclusive VIP party, so public admission is likely to be minimal. But there will be a red carpet and a party beneath a big tent.

Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson is slated to spin at the celebration, currently scheduled for January 30.

Look for a huge tent to go up there at Jefferson & Whiting (map) sometime in January.

A BOMA award-winner for building and management excellence, Tampa City Center delivers unparalleled comfort, convenience and service in the heart of downtown Tampa. It features 38 floors of Class A office space with the latest Verizon SmartCenter telecommunications capabilities, concierge services, the prestigious University Club, on-site banking, brokerage, shops and restaurants. Tampa City Center is linked by covered walkways to parking, the Hyatt Regency, and a retail esplanade. The courthouses and all other downtown amenities are just minutes away.

Interesting facts about One Tampa City Center.

One Tampa City Center surpassed Park Tower in 1981 as the tallest building in Tampa, and was the tallest building in Florida from 1981 to 1984, when the Wachovia Financial Center opened in Miami.  One Tampa City Center remained Tampa’s tallest until completion of Bank of America Plaza in 1986.

The building’s cement elevator shaft core was constructed to its full height before vertical construction began on the building’s floors.

In 1991 the building was the first Florida skyscraper to install a “building-wide” recycling system.

Despite other high-rises downtown, the building never had tenant vacancy problems because of its large and consistent tenant, Verizon (formerly GTE).

In January 2001 the new Verizon sign was installed at the building’s top as the company renamed from GTE.

One Tampa City Center (map) is located on the southwest corner of Jackson St. and Florida Av.  Washington Street leads to the loading dock, and on the west side of the building, Franklin Street becomes the William F. Poe Plaza.

The office building is connected to the Fort Brooke Parking Garage by a third story footbridge over Washington St.  There is also Skybridge access to Hyatt Regency Hotel across Poe Plaza.

Find out more about the building at the Tampa City Center website.

Photo by Robert Blackie, Some rights reserved

Large pewter chandeliers provide lighting for the Hillsborough Room which accommodates 180 seated patrons. The Harbour Room, seating 100, is adjacent to the bar and cocktail lounge. These rooms overlook Tampa’s Hillsborough River and Hillsborough Bay. The view from large picture windows extends to the Tampa Convention Center, the new Florida Aquarium and the Ice Palace. On clear days the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is visible. Three private dining rooms, the River Room, Gasparilla Room and Ybor Room complete the 16,000 square footage.

But how did this exclusive membership-only restaurant come to be?

Excerpted from the History page of the University Club website:

In the spring of 1946 (or the latter part of 1945) a group of prominent Tampa businessmen held an informal gathering to discuss the formation of a downtown luncheon club, which would provide a pleasant friendly atmosphere to enjoy good company in comfortable surroundings. The population of the City of Tampa then was 125,000. At the time most of Tampa’s business and commerce and professional offices were located in downtown Tampa. Consequently most restaurants and hotel dining rooms were filled to capacity for noon meals. The formation of a private luncheon club to be called the University Club of Tampa began.

A membership committee chaired by George B. Howell, President of First Savings and Trust Company selected those who would be invited to join. Also on the committee were Carl D. Brorein, Frank Traynor, Eliot Fletcher, David Falk, Ed K. Nelson and Jay L. Hearin. Rules required that members be college graduates with a quota of alumni from each university. A special category, non-college graduates, and non-resident classifications were also included. The founding members numbered approximately 100. Officers of the newly formed Club were President, Truman Green, Tampa Tribune Company; Vice President, Frank Traynor, Florida Portland Cement; Secretary, James Warren, Tampa Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Inc.; and Treasurer, H.L. “Dusty” Crowder, Crowder Insurance Inc. A House Rules Committee chaired by Fred J. Woods included Paul LeBlanc, Howard Franklin, Eliot Fletcher and Jay Hearin.

The University Club opened on September 11, 1946 in the mezzanine of the Tampa Terrace Hotel, with the hotel providing food and beverage service.  The Club expanded and began food service in 1958.  By 1961, the University Club reached its limit of 250 dictated by the by-laws leaving a waiting list.  State Senator Sam Gibbons helped with a request for a Club liquor license, which was granted by the state legislature.  The lease with TTH expired in 1962.

The official opening of the new quarters in the Marine Bank Building was the annual meeting on January 17, 1962 presided over by George S. Jenkins.  An open house was held on January 20, 1962. The new place held a dining area, private rooms, card rooms and lounge area.  By April, membership reached 364 of the 400 limit for active members.  A dues increase became effective December 1, 1963 with dues for Active and Special categories rising to $180 annually.

The consideration of reciprocity privileges with other private clubs resulted in a number of agreements, the first being with the Commerce Club of Atlanta. As clubs were investigated, conflicts of club rules and proximity of a hundred mile radius of Tampa were reasons for rejection. Today, reciprocity is shared with seventy-one clubs throughout the United States.

Two years after the move to the Marine Bank Building, the use and popularity of the Club created the need for additional space. Limits were placed on guests and parties were sold out with waiting lists. Applications for membership grew steadily.  At a special meeting held on April 26, 1965 the recommendation of the Board to move to the Exchange Bank building was explained to the membership. The vote tallied 299 in favor and 105 against the move.

After less than four years in the Marine Bank building, the University Club relocated to the top (22nd) floor of the Exchange Bank. By March 1968, after a by-law change, the number of Active members rose to 700; Non-Residents stood at 125. Initiation fees increased to $400 for Actives and $75 for Non-Residents. Annual dues were $216 for Actives and $108 for Non-Residents, effective October 1, 1968.

As the community grew, so did the University Club until its membership reached its limits; waiting list grew longer. An Intermediate member classification, added in 1975, encouraged younger men to join. A Senior member classification was added in 1980.  That year, the Site Committee and the Board voted to relocate to Tampa City Center.

Under the guidance of President James Urbanski, with H.L. “Punky” Crowder as chairman of the Building Committee, the relocation to Tampa City Center was completed the last weekend in February, 1982.

The excitement of Super Bowl activities in 1984 permeated the halls of the Club during the week with gourmet dinners, a private luncheon hosted by CBS television network with Pat Summerall and John Madden as hosts, and cocktails and hors d’oeuvres served before the game followed by a buffet dinner.

Administrative costs and expenditures, including Club refurbishing, were rising necessitating a raise in dues and initiation fees in December 1984. Initiation fees for Actives rose from $1750 to $2500; Intermediates from $250 to $500; Non Residents from $525 to $750. Monthly dues were raised to $50 for Actives; Intermediates and Non-Residents to $25.

Beginning in the late eighties Father/Son/Daughter Banquets, July 4^th family picnics and children’s Christmas parties were added as the Club became more family oriented. Guy King III, as Entertainment Chairman produced the first Spring Gathering, a lavish display of food and wines, on April 13, 1991.

By July 1996, three new classifications of membership had been added: Corporate, Honorary Associate and Special Associate, bringing the total to seven. Residents (whose nomenclature changed with the merger of Active and Special) total 504; Intermediate 40; Senior 147; Non-Resident 74; Corporate 11; Honorary Associate 2; Special Associates 3. As of 1996, the total membership consisted of 781 members.

His works grace numerous important museum, corporate, public and private collections as well as the collections of many American cities and states. His works are also prominently exhibited in the public collections of various European and Asian municipalities.

He’s currently working on his “Peninsula Project,” where he installs an exhibition of sculpture in seven cities around the Florida peninsula.

One of John Henry’s monumental works is installed at a public site in each city, incorporating itself into the Florida landscape, and interacting with the community on a daily basis. Accompanying each monument is an exhibit at a local art museum. The unique exhibits allow deeper connections to be made between the viewer, the cities, the sculpture and the artist.

You will soon find his works in Boca Raton, Miami, Naples, Orlando, Sarasota, Tallahassee, and Tampa.

“Big Max” is the name of John Henry’s sculpture for Tampa, and is already installed downtown at MacDill Park (map) on the Riverwalk.  The sculpture is huge, and was just set down in the park, leading some to call Big Max “plop art.”

George took some great photos of Big Max at MacDill Park for his Brass Bowl blog.

Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon.

2008 marks the 14th anniversary for annual hunger luncheon to be held again in downtown Tampa’s Lykes Gaslight Park (map).

Over a thousand guests share in a simple meal of soup and bread that signifies the plight of the hungry just prior to Thanksgiving. Guests take away an “Empty Bowl” memento created by local schoolchildren, and can also bid on bowls and pottery donated by professional artists and offered in a silent auction. $10 per person to attend.

Proceeds benefit America’s Second Harvest of Tampa Bay.

From <a href=”http://www.stairclimbtampabay.com/stairclimbtampabay/”>Climb Tampa</a>:

Join us for one of the most unique events in Tampa Bay.  On March 21, 2009, hundreds of people will huff and puff their way climbing the 42 flights in the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa.  This is more than your same old 5K this event is a vertical race to climb 42 floors/914 steps.  Whether climbing for a winning time or simply to cross the finish line in honor or in memory of someone with lung disease, this event is a great way to challenge yourself physically.  We guarantee that all finishers will have a newfound respect for healthy lungs!

All proceeds benefit the American Lung Association for lung cancer research, education, and prevention programs.  Many do not realize that lung cancer is still the number one cancer killer in both men and women.

You don’t really know your community until you’ve walked it.

There’s nothing better for the environment than putting the car keys in a drawer, throwing on a pair of sneakers and hitting the pavement. Studies have show that compact, walkable communities allow people to make fewer trips in their cars, travel less to meet their everyday needs, and thus reduce their contribution to global warming. The question really is – is your neighborhood walkable?

Up until recently, many people did not think of Tampa as a walkable city, but with recent renovation efforts, improved urban planning and the advent of new museums and waterfront projects, things are really changing.

Healthy Together and its partners invite you to enjoy learning more about your active downtown community while realizing the wellness benefits of outdoor activity. “Do The LOCAL Motion” is a free fitness program that combines walking and running with culture and community.

Join the Do The Local Motion Tampa Bay team every other Friday (schedule) for a 45-minute (approx. 2 miles) walk!  Walkers meet at noon at Lykes Gaslight Square Park (map).

It’s time to get healthy.

Do the Local Motion Tampa Bay is encouraging folks to get healthy and tour downtown Tampa all at the same time.

There are a half dozen routes designed to get you moving for forty five minutes while you take in the sights and sounds of Tampa, allowing you to get to parts of the city you may never have visted.

Each route includes a podcast that highlights various sites and plays music from local musicians.  You can find the podcasts at dothelocalmotiontampabay.com.

Walks begin and end at noon every other Friday at Lykes Gaslight Square Park (map), where you can also check out the downtown Tampa market.