Art galleries have very unique demands when it comes to lighting them up. Unlike most rooms that require a fine balance of task, accent, and ambient lighting, art galleries mainly rely on accent lighting to accentuate the art on display. While keeping the ambient lighting simple, you need to concentrate mainly on getting the accent lighting right for the actual artwork in the room.

Ideally, you must have a picture lighting system that can be easily reconfigured to light up relocated or new art pieces displayed in the art gallery. For several decades now, monorail lighting and track lighting are being used for lighting art galleries. Check the CRI (Color Rendering Index) A lamp’s CRI is nothing but its ability to display the colors of illuminated objects and falls in the range of 1 (monochromatic light) and 100 (the sun). Fluorescent bulbs that we commonly use have a very low CRI while incandescent lamps come with a high CRI. However, incandescent lamps are not really suitable for art galleries since they do not have the exact directional characteristics required for illuminating art galleries.

Low-voltage track and cable systems are commonly used for this purpose, as they use halogen lamps that are known for their almost perfect color rendering abilities with precise beam control. Another important factor that needs to be considered is the color temperature since it decides how colors would appear to the eye under a specific lamp. It is believed that warm colors would look more vibrant under ‘warm’ light sources while cool colors would look more pleasing under ‘cool’ lamps.

Pay attention to the beam spread abilities of a lamp. The size of the lighted area is one of the major lighting problems when illuminating an art gallery. For instance, a large cone used to illuminate a small art piece may not only look odd but also distract your attention from the artwork to the illuminated wall. It may not be always possible to change fixtures but you can certainly resolve this problem by choosing a lamp of the right beam spread. Simply put, beam spread refers to the width of the cone of light a lamp produces as you move away from the light source.

Beam spreads of lamps are specified in terms of spots and floods. While the term ‘spot’ refers to a beam spread of less than 15 degrees, ‘flood’ describes a beam spread in the range of 15 to 30 degrees. You must avoid directional cans as far as possible, since such recessed fixtures may not give enough light to illuminate an especially large piece despite their ability to rotate.

An art gallery is a great place to spend time and to learn. Think about all of the new things you can discover by taking the time to see new exhibits at a local art gallery. You can learn new forms of art or see new examples of the oldest and most well known forms of art. Maybe you can visit an art gallery at a time when the artist will be there to answer questions about their work. There is no better time to feed your curious mind than by talking with an artist. Have you been aspiring to learn a new artistic skill? If so, get yourself to an art gallery as often as you can. Be inspired by the work of those who have done the things you are hoping to do. Take notes, ask questions, see if you can sign up for a class by one of the local artists. There is no better way to become an artist yourself. If supporting local business and economy is important to you, then visiting a local art gallery should be on your list of ways to show support. Let the local artists know that you care about and appreciate the work they do. Remind them that your community would not be the same without their efforts. If you are looking to decorate a spot in your home you can even consider purchasing a piece or two of art from the local art gallery. There is no better way to support the local business than to buy from it.

Visiting an art gallery is a great way to get you, your family and your friends out of the rut of doing the same activities for recreation. Next time you have a free afternoon or evening consider passing up the movie theatre or the bookstore and choosing an art gallery instead. There are so many new things to be learned and appreciated. Expand your mind and your interests to include good art. You will never regret developing yourself and your family into people who can recognize and appreciate important elements that reflect your culture. If you are a parent, begin instilling in your children the value of visiting a local art gallery. Help them to learn why art is important to our culture and encourage them to increase the things they care about to include more than just games and movies. Adding a little cultural experience like visiting an art gallery will be good for you and for them.