Hi Bonnie,
That's excellent news, congratulations on getting them to come around! There are a bunch of resources out there with recommended light levels, this one is from the C2C community: Light Levels for Storage and Exhibition
Depending on what lights you're replacing, the biggest benefit to the artwork will be the elimination of UV light. While the pdf listed above lists a maximum UV exposure, UV light adds nothing to the standard viewing experience and can cause significant damage to objects including darkening varnishes and fading of colors, and halogen lights in particular emit a significant amount of UV - CCAHA in Philadelphia has a nice description of why to eliminate UV: Light Exposure for Artifacts on Exhibition
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| Light Exposure for Artifacts on Exhibition |
| Light can cause damage to collections. The amount of damage is determined by the intensity and type of light, the time of exposure, and the natural resistance of the object's components. Light damage is not only limited to fading: overexposure can also cause weakening, discoloration, yellowing and embrittlement. |
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Additionally, Stefan Michalski at the Canadian Conservation Institute has done a lot of research into light damage and wrote about it at the link below:
Light, ultraviolet and infrared - Canada.ca
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| Light, ultraviolet and infrared - Canada.ca |
| Learn how to avoid, detect, report and treat the damage caused by ultraviolet and infrared light. |
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I hope those are helpful! And congratulations on making the big switch!
All the best,
Liz
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Elizabeth Peirce
Conservator (Objects) /Connecting to Collections Care Monitor 10/2-10/15
Library of Congress
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-06-2023 11:34
From: Bonnie Seymour
Subject: Lighting levels
Greetings Hive Mind!
I have finally got it into the budget to have all the lights in my museum changed to adjustable LEDs. However, I need to make a good case regarding safe light levels for artwork. What are the safe light levels for mixed (but mostly oil paintings) art objects in a gallery or small enclosed wall case? Any resources to help in my research?
Thank you!
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Bonnie Seymour
Registrar and Assistant Curator
The Parthenon
Nashville TN
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