Modernized digital dimmers are going to be installed in the Skyline College’s art gallery on March 8, initiated by Paul Bridenbaugh, Gallery Director, and Alan Ceccarelli, theater event manager and instructor of DRAM 310, renewing the old system for the purposes of having brighter lights and safety, they will still utilize the old system.

the old lighting system in the art gallery wasn’t very good, so Bridenbaugh wanted to install theatrical lighting bulbs in the art gallery. The previous light bulbs in the gallery were very old; the circuits are from 1969 and very dangerous. And the old system was not convenient for turning on/off the lights, because it required going to the skinny setup upstairs to turn the lights on.

The new digital installation system is designed in a way which allows an iPad to control the lights even from downstairs, so it is accessible for people with disabilities. This new system can be utilized by anyone planning an event. The new dimmers will be portable and can be moved out to the gymnasium for graduation ceremonies. The new dimmers in the art gallery will make up for the lack of bright white lights which is needed for making live video for graduation ceremonies.

“The lights can be borrowed form the art gallery and taken over to the theater for the special performance.” Bridenbaugh said, “It’s not something that will be only used in the art gallery, it will also benefit all the different programs at school.”

The art gallery is the place where music concerts, award ceremonies, special events with guest speakers, and of course, art shows are usually held. The lighting set up is beneficial for these different events because there will be more lights that are smaller and can be used for different types of effects.

“For the students whose art work is in the show, their work will be very beautiful [with those new lights],” Bridenbaugh said.

Bridenbaugh also teaches gallery techniques in his classes and is satisfied with the new lighting system, because his students will get valuable experiences and job skills by learning how to use the system.

Ceccarelli is also using the installing of the new light system to teach his students by having them help with the installation process.

“I’m using it in my class. My students get to learn how to install new dimmers, how they work and how to program them.

According to Ceccarelli, instead of having six dimmers, they will have one dimmer for every single circuit, in which they will use iPad to control the on/off functions of the lights.

Ei Poe Phyu is a Skyline student who is currently working as an assistant at the gallery and has been for two semesters, she is also helped with the procedures of removing the older system and replacing it with the new one.

Phyu said that Ceccarelli and his students were working hard to change older system to the new one. They started working on the installations a week ago. They even went up to the ceilings and removed the old dimmers. Professor Bridenbaugh also assisted them, but Ceccarelli and his students did most of the work on the installation.

According to both Bridenbaugh and Ceccarelli, the installation of the new system is a major undertaking. The existing light system in the gallery was pulled out in order to install these dimmers. The project will take two weeks, They have to pull out all of the old systems in able to install the new ones.

They can’t do any changes when the galley is showing, so they started before spring break. After spring break, there will be the 2014 Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition between April 14 through May 9, which will be the first show to utalize the new dimmers.