#visible storage

In a past post, my colleague, Lisa Bruno, mentioned the Museum received an IMLS grant to refurbish the lights in Luce Visible Storage. The original in-case phosphorescent lighting in Luce has come to an end of its 10 year life span. Although innovative at the time, this lighting technology has been surpassed with the new superstar of museum lighting – LED’s (light emitting diode). LED’s can be made with no ultraviolet (UV) and minimal infrared (IR, heat) – both important qualities for museum lighting. To choose the new Luce lights a group including the Museum Designer, Curators, Conservators and individuals from the Planning department met with Edison Price lighting specialists.

So what is considered when choosing museum lighting? Of course we want to be able to see the object and we also want to be sure the visual appearance of the artwork is accurately represented. We also want to be sure the works are not adversely affected by the museum lighting. For lighting in Luce we had to consider what would work for a variety of different types of objects which are basically on permanent display.

Our ultimate choice was the Minimax LED. The choice of LED’s already eliminate UV and minimize IR which are two damaging components that can exist in light. These lights also come equipped with a dimmer switch which easily allows us to lower the illumination intensity of the lighting which also helps preserve objects. An added bonus is that LED’s are energy efficient having a much longer lifespan than average light bulbs which significantly decreases maintenance costs.

Check out the video of the installation of these new LED’s! And see for yourself next time you visit the Museum!

Gaston Lachaise’s Standing Woman was inspired by his beloved wife Isabel Dutaud Nagle. The young artist pursued her from his native Paris to Boston in 1906, and he lived in the United States for the rest of his life. He rendered her as a force of nature with a powerful form and elongated limbs, towering over seven feet high. This monumental work has to be seen in person—the next time you’re in Brooklyn’s American art galleries, stop in to Luce Visible Storage to meet Lachaise’s muse.