AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Good management of lighting in museums and galleries requires balancing the visibility needs of viewers, the curatorial and artistic vision for an exhibition, the possible loan requirements, and the conservation concerns for the art displayed. External windows that introduce varying amounts of sunlight depending on the time of day, season, and geographic location contribute to a fundamental uncertainty in environmental conditions. Their presence further complicates decisions regarding adjustments to artificial lighting, window treatments, and exhibition length. Galleries are rarely static – artworks with photosensitive elements are frequently considered for display, and without sufficient light monitoring data, windowed galleries present a worrisome unknown. However, data loggers typically afforded in museum budgets only capture information for a single localized area. Consequently, conservators must take into account the unique geometry and architecture of the space when determining what defines sufficient data to summarize lighting conditions. Restrictions on the amount of time and location of data sampling similarly impede the conservator’s ability to accurately capture and evaluate current conditions. The dynamic nature of sunlight within the museum environment and the inherent limitations of monitoring technology necessitate efficient and low-cost methods for studying and reporting typical light levels within a space. This poster presents two case studies demonstrating novel and accessible solutions for reliably evaluating lighting conditions in windowed galleries.

Two lighting surveys of the Lehman Wing and Arms and Armor galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art provide light monitoring strategies for these types of dynamic and architecturally-complex galleries. We developed methods outlining suitable monitoring equipment, monitor placement, data collection, geographical considerations, data processing, and interpretation. Both surveys primarily used commonly available Onset HOBO monitoring tools, Microsoft Office Excel templates, and inexpensive mobile applications. In one survey, deadlines for gallery designs limited available monitoring time, requiring light level predictions informed by local weather patterns and gallery geometry. In the other, we supplemented a twelve-month data collection period with visuals from time-lapse cameras to better document the impact that a combination of skylights, architectural columns, and shades had on the way sunlight travels around the gallery. In both cases, light level reports were organized as a composite of multiple data sources and broken down to demonstrate daily, monthly, and location-dependent trends to help visualize changing conditions. The shared and ultimately successful goal of these surveys was to find ways to effectively communicate current lighting conditions in the galleries to colleagues regardless of their familiarity with typical conservation lighting and monitoring practices. By developing comprehensive data collection and reporting strategies for these galleries, museum staff have additional tools for managing uncertainty associated with windows and rotating art collections.