Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories is a new permanent exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago, where Native American and Indigenous people tell their own stories through words, music, dance, and art.
Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories is a new permanent exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago, where Native American and Indigenous people tell their own stories through words, music, dance, and art.
Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories is a new permanent exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago, where Native American and Indigenous people tell their own stories through words, music, dance, and art.
Lighting within the 9,000-sq-ft space draws attention to important elements throughout, while meeting strict conservation requirements that vary depending on the artifact on display.
The new system contains downlights in corridors, backlit images and graphics, as well as adjustable track and gimbal lighting, which allows objects to be moved easily, or fixtures to be swapped out as needed.
The design relies on sensors to maintain the precise light levels needed for the artifacts. The sensors prompt the artifact lighting to turn on when someone approaches, as well as turn off when unattended. This allows the light to be brighter while on, while exposing the artifacts fewer aggregate footcandle-hours. The technique is applied in varying situations throughout the exhibit–for light-sensitive artifacts located in cases containing light attics, for some located in cases illuminated from above, and for others located outside of cases.
Data collected from the sensors allows curators to aggregate light exposure for each artifact. When an item is on loan to the museum, for example, curators can share information with the artifact owner about how much aggregate illuminance the artifact was exposed to for the duration of its exhibition. This precise tracking capability–and the resulting possibility to show others how careful the museum is–helps the curatorial staff acquire new objects for the exhibit.
Lighting throughout the exhibit is controlled by the museum’s building automation system, which automatically turns the lighting on and off at specific times, allows security to override lighting levels as needed, and contains preset modes for special events.
