October 2015

Shoshanna Segal
CLD, IALD, LEED AP (BD+C)
Principal, Luminous Flux, LLC

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
I came to NYC in 1992, after I finished my MFA in theatre at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I was a finalist for the Hemsley Internship at City Opera, and when that didn’t pan out, my graduate professor suggested that I speak with Domingo Gonzalez. Domingo hired me as an intern and I actually remember the first drawing on which I was allowed to work — I laid out four-foot fluorescent strips in a cove in the men’s room at Newark Penn Station! My experience with DGA was hugely helpful as I moved on to work as a rep for both Continental (now SDA) and International Lights. Having worked as a designer allowed me to understand the types of information specifiers needed from a rep and how crucial they were to supporting significant projects. Through International Lights, I came to work for a time as manager of national accounts for Zumtobel Staff. Working from the manufacturer’s side added a whole different dimension to my understanding of how products get designed and built and how many people are involved in the design and construction of the fixtures we use every day. Over the years, I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with and learn from some of the very best lighting designers in New York, and collectively, they inspired me to open my own firm.
I recently received the CLD certification credential after demonstrating mastery across seven different domains of lighting design. The fact that the process is a peer-reviewed one is extremely valuable to me, as I respect and admire the tremendous work so many of my colleagues have accomplished. Having their “stamp of approval” is extremely gratifying.

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
It was really at Domingo’s urging. As a theatre designer, I understood about shaping form with light and had an understanding of the effects that angle and color can have on a visual environment, but I needed to quickly pick up the basics of architectural layout and technique, which are the main ways in which architectural and theatrical lighting design differ. Domingo told me to find a class, and I took the Section’s L100 “Intro to Lighting” class. When I went on to work for both Continental and International, both companies were active supporters of the IESNYC and encouraged staff to participate in Section events.  
Carrie Hawley (now at in HLB Boston) and I co-chaired the Lumens from 1997 to 2001, and then again from 2003 to 2006. It was truly an honor and a joy to be part of helping the event grow from 250 or so attendees to its current size of over 700 by the time we passed it on to capable hands. In addition, I also served on the programming and education committees for a time and helped with ControlThis!

Q: In your opinion, what are the best assets of the IESNYC?
We have an active and extremely well-educated member base. I don’t think any other section has the depth of knowledgeable and influential experts across all areas of architectural lighting. Our educational programs are frequently taught by the same professionals who authored the relevant IESNA documents, and that’s no small advantage. Also, as a Section, we are extremely fortunate to have longstanding, close relationships among specifiers and reps, which means that when we come together, it is truly a community of allied professionals.

Q: How do you see your role as a member?  
Now as a mentor more than anything else. I have been fortunate to receive so much guidance from remarkable professionals, and I am excited to pass that legacy of cooperative education along.

Editor’s Note: Shoshanna Segal was one of the first three lighting designers to earn Certified Lighting Designer (CLD) status. She is the only New York-based lighting designer to be certified, and one of two based in the United States. The new international certification recognizes designers whose body of work demonstrates technical and artistic mastery across the creative and technological domains that form contemporary lighting design practice.