The Fabric of our Society

The Fabric of Our Society editorial is a platform for industry thought leaders to provide experience-based opinions and reflections on various topics. Diverse perspectives are respected and most welcome. Want to contribute? Email [email protected]

April 2024

Museum Lighting: The Art of Collaboration

Eileen M. E. Pierce
Founding Principal, Pierce Lighting Studio

Empathy is a reflex, but it is also a muscle that lighting designers must develop and nurture over their career. In working with museum collaborators, empathy is essential to clearly define the root lighting problem. The solution journey can be intimidating and daunting, but ultimately empathy is necessary for a lighting design to succeed with both beauty and functionality.

For context, I have 20+ years of experience working with museums on large capital and small renovations: big budget and no budget; historic and modern. The common thread running through all these projects is that they are run by people. Individuals who are safeguarding the core values, public access, and legacy of the museum. Putting yourself in the shoes of the collaborator in front of you requires imagination and above all, empathy.

Complex and competing interests
The approach to architectural and exhibit lighting design in museums is similar to other project typologies. If you listen carefully, the museum staff and other leadership will educate you on their specific priorities and hierarchy. Do your research! Ask informed questions, then distill. To understand the stakeholder point of view, ask questions to provoke divergent conversations.

There will be conflicting needs, wants, and desires from the museum team collaborators. Listen and dream. Think outside the box. And remember, to get the real story on maintenance logistics, speak directly to the crew up on the ladder. 

The biggest challenge with institutional design is the contrasting opinions of important stakeholders. Balancing egos, internal dynamics, design novices, progressive thinkers, esteemed curmudgeons, highly educated know-it-alls, industry newbies, loud dominant voices and soft voices with astute perspectives… This is a skillset that develops over time.

The list of stakeholders can grow with every conversation: architects, leadership, and multiple staff from programming and curators to finance and facilities. All perspectives should be weighed with equal respect and importance.

Other construction realities include energy codes, power infrastructure, project timelines, sustainability, evolving technologies, and operations constraints. With a firm grasp of the institution’s core values, as clearly expressed by these stakeholders, you will be able to advise on the best course forward. And never underestimate the advantages of institutional memory.

Shown Right: Pierce Lighting Studio collaboration Wild Center Solutions Exhibit

Designing for the Long-term 
Art galleries are designed for merchandise to turn over, whereas museums are preserving items for enjoyment over the coming centuries. And like other public venues, closing down museum galleries for any given time is highly disruptive. Updating equipment just here and there will lead to widespread refit eventually. And the refit after this one will not be undertaken anytime soon. Do it right the first time, in a sustainable way.

Without the public coming through daily, planning a new museum may be more or less difficult. Regardless, plan on the lighting solution as something the institution will live with for a full generation of patrons and staff. Lighting should never be “just for now, until budgets improve.” Start small, where the budget fits. Whether a lighting technology is tried-and-true or new to market, make the smart choice with longevity in mind. Lighting technologies evolve quickly, so keep in mind where lighting and suppliers might be in 5, 10, or 20 years.

There are opportunities for lighting designers and manufacturers to build relationships in supplying what is needed now, with future expansions and upgrades in mind. So don’t be disappointed if an initial project is small.

One client chose to renovate a single gallery, and then fundraise on the basis of its success. Consistency in the lighting vocabulary, attic stock, wiring, and controls are all vital to maintenance. If the approach and equipment suit (and function well over time), the museum will return to build upon established relationships, strategies, and inventory.

Strengthening relationships 
It’s common for institutions to collaborate with architects, exhibit designers, and lighting designers time and again, to push the narrative forward. A successful, meaningful, and innovative collaboration – especially over the long-term – means delving deep to define the institutional voice and developing the design path forward. Lighting design with human empathy propels a project to excellence. And then like any lasting relationship, experience and more empathy empower the participants.

In a time crunch, I tinkered with AI to help me organize my notes on the topic of collaboration in museum lighting design. Not surprisingly, the AI spit back a logical outline. It captured the information, summarizing it into clean sound bites. But it clearly lacked the nuance and empathy that humans look for, both in reading compelling content, and in creating successful collaborations.

AI may be our newest collaborator, and many are searching for new ways to incorporate it into their workflows. As my experience with AI for this article attests, AI is missing some key elements that define successful human collaborations. The most important being empathy, the key ingredient defining successful projects.

More than that, people coming together to create something together generates an energy. There’s no denying the excitement of a team working collaboratively towards an institutional lighting solution. Connect, in a meaningful way, with the staff and leadership behind the institutional vision. It is rewarding beyond measure.