The University of Illinois at Normal’s arts program is one of their signature schools, and engages the university community with the town as a whole. In bringing their galleries off-campus and up to modern standards, the University Galleries expands the integration of the arts community into downtown and beyond. Indeed, the location within the multimodal transport hub building makes it a stopping over point for national travelers.

As a student-operated arts facility, all lighting is designed to be operable by non-technical staff, with a robustness that extends the installation’s life through a planned 30 years and beyond. The lighting utilizes a mix of fluorescent general illumination (configured to be upgradable to LED as color rendition and technology arrive) and LED replacement lamp-based artwork accent lights. Through disciplined suspension of tracks and equipment, the lighting provides clear visual reference ceilings scaling spaces and managing the impact of sloped decks above for the benefit of art.

In keeping with the mission of outward engagement, the windowed galleries are lit to enhance visibility of the art to the streets and particularly to an adjacent roundabout where almost all residents of the town pass through over the course of a week or a month – each exhibition communicating its presence to the community.

Light drives community engagement for this student-run gallery.

Students are afforded the opportunity to share their work beyond their faculty and to learn to develop art for real contexts.

Collaboration with ESA and Vinci Hamp Architects has delivered a local museum with exposure far beyond the typical.

Every art gallery has its own mission. Community engagement is a visual mission embodied in light.