Museum Lighting Controls: Striking a Balance

Nick Downham is an industry expert in lighting systems and integration. He is a member of the IES where he sits on the IES Lighting Control Systems Committee and is an advisory member of the IES Museum and Art Gallery Lighting Committee. With over a decade in the entertainment lighting industry, Nick’s unique combination of experience in system design, installation, project management, and sales allows him to think multi-dimensionally to overcome the day-to-day challenges we experience as lighting professionals. Notable projects include event facilities at Google, interactive experiences at Lionsgate Entertainment World, and the theatrical systems at The Lewis Center for the Performing arts at Princeton University.

As owner and President of Candela Controls, Inc. in Winter Garden, FL, Bill Ellis has gained experience and respect in the industry for his innovative thinking and problem-solving approach to the unusual project. Some of his most challenging projects include: the Sky Church and Artists Journey at Experience Music Project, Seattle, WA; the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, IL; the Space Shuttle Atlantis on display at The Kennedy Space Center, FL; and the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, MD. In addition, there have been over 22 casino projects in 7 states, the Bahamas, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as multiple themed projects for the Walt Disney World Company and SeaWorld Entertainment. Bill earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lighting and Audio from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society and sits on its Lighting Control Systems and Museum and Art Gallery Lighting Committees. Bill is also member of Control Protocols Workgroup for ESTA, and is an alternate member to Code Making Panel 18 of the National Electrical Code for ESTA. A leader in systems integration, Mr. Ellis is a Certified Low Voltage Systems Specialty Contractor in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Bill has presented at several LightFair International conferences, and for IES, PLASA, and ESTA on a range of lighting control topics, including Advance Control Solutions, the use of DMX512, RDM, sACN, DALI, and PoE integrations.

Alex is the National Portrait Gallery’s resident Exhibit Lighting & Media Art designer. Since coming to the NPG in 2006 he has lit over 130 Exhibitions, as well as designed and installed numerous Time Based Media Art installations and Video interactives. He is an active voice in the various Time-Base Media Art conversations within and without the Smithsonian. He is a member of both the NPG’s Digital Art Group Roundtable (D.A.G.R.) as well as the institution-wide time Based Media Art Group. Prior to coming to the NPG Alex was a freelance lighting designer working in entertainment and architecture in the mid-Atlantic region. His local architectural design work can be seen at the US Senate, The Cosmos Club and The Smithsonian’s National Museum for the American Indian, as well as numerous public art installation throughout the City. In addition he has over 100 professional Lighting and Scenic design credits including productions for the Roundhouse Theatre, The Olney Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, and The Kennedy Center. Alex has an MFA in Lighting Design from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is an adjunct Professor of Lighting Design for the Corcoran College of Arts and Design at the George Washington University.