New Lighting-McLeod County Historical Gallery Grand Re-Opening

The Museum has been in disorder and at times a noisy place to be, but as the new lighting is taking shape and unveiling all its capabilities, Museum staff and volunteers are excited about the new update.
The Historical Gallery Lighting Upgrade was made possible through a Cultural and Heritage Legacy Act Grant. The grant covered $50,700.00 of the $56,000.00 project. Over $4,000.00 of this cost was paid in volunteer and in-kind dollars donated to the huge task of planning, preparing, and now reorganizing the displays for the installation of the new lighting system. This project could not have been done without the generous help of the many Museum Volunteers. A huge 'THANK YOU' to them.
The new lighting consists of a large suspended grid of track that covers the entire ceiling. Spot and flood lights can be attached at any point along the grid, as well as outlets to power other items below. The track is broken up into four quadrants that are on separate sensors that will come on when movement or noise is detected in the space. This will help to save on electricity as only the area that is being occupied will be lit, it will also reduce the exposure of harmful UV rays to our priceless collections on display. Now that we have this new system, we have been able to eliminate almost all of the visually obtrusive and electrical hazards created by extension cords, power strips, and multiple switches strung throughout the space. Another major benefit of the new lighting is the 'truer' color of the artifacts and display photos. The old gallery lighting gave everything in the space a greenish tint that was not as pleasing as the clearer white light that we now have. As is, the new lighting is great, but it is something that we can grow with as displays change. The grid can hold many more flood and spotlights, that can be purchased and added anywhere along the grid. Outlets and light filters can also be added to help create new display moods and effects. The lighting is quite high to take advantage of the 25 ft. high ceilings, but this has lead us to a new challenge and our next grant proposal. In the next year we hope to purchase a small man lift to aid in changing light bulbs, directing spot lights, and numerous other jobs that the lift could make possible in the gallery and the rest of the Museum.
We hope you will join us on Sunday, February 13th from 2-3 P M to see our new historical gallery lighting.