ARTICLE — Man, we lighting designers are in a rough spot. As students, it was beaten into us to focus on visibility, composition, balance, color and movement. We were trained to consume - sustainability was not a part of the equation.

ARTICLE — If you haven’t worked in the museum or visitor attraction industry before, you are what I like to call a “civic entrepreneur” – you are undergoing a massive project (no matter how big or small) that needs careful planning, a creative team, and attention to details you never could have imagined.

ARTICLE — There’s a reason people say, “If you want some- thing done well, do it yourself.” This also applies to creating exhibit components in a frugal way. How can you leverage or creatively utilize existing tools, materials, workspaces, or staff to help produce exhibit components? Even if you don’t have a fully functioning (or fully staffed) exhibits department, are there parts of the exhibition development or production process that you can handle in-house to reduce costs?

ARTICLE — When trying to define my occupation to the uninitiated, I often use the analogy that light is to the eyes what music is to the ears. Rhythm, tempo, timber, and layers are my toolbox. To me, “going green” is another tool. It doesn’t mean turn down the music; it means turn it off when no one is listening and it means thoughtfully applying light to tasks, objects, surfaces, and environments.

ARTICLE — RFP- Request for Proposal! Requesting proposals from qualified firms and answering proposals by qualified firms is the lifeblood of our industry. Our industry—exhibits—design, fabrication, media production, and the many other varied and unique specialties that go into making a complete exhibition.