A major factor influencing Brushed with Light‘s design was due to the delicate nature of watercolors themselves. Because the works are light sensitive it is required that they be exhibited in low light. This being said, a dim room is not always the most comfortable environment to view works of art.
As a solution, I designed the inner walls of the room to be recessed at the top so I could install lighting fixtures, which were then colored with gels and diffused to give the room an inviting glow, without subjecting the paintings to additional light. I repeated this technique in the gallery entrance so the visitor is reminded before even entering the space the important role light plays within these beautiful paintings. In addition the walls were painted with a deep berry palette which functions to make the paintings “pop”, due to the fact that light is reflected off the pictures while being absorbed by the wall around them, highlighting the pictures rather than the room.
Lance Singletary has been an Associate Exhibition Designer at the Brooklyn Museum since 2004. Prior to his work at the museum he was a designer for a number of NYC firms and institutions, focusing on furniture, architectural and exhibition design. He has a Masters Degree in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute and a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from the University of Texas, Austin.