In mid-November, I sat on the gallery floor with art preparator Mollie Denhard, surrounded by 108 dressed mannequins.

She and our colleagues had just finished installing Made It: The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion, and we chatted about remaining tasks. In the dimly lit room, Mollie referenced light focusing, the final phase of exhibition install, which few notice, but is essential to its success.

Good lighting is easily missed unless it’s poor or absent. The short days of winter remind us how much light affects everything, from our circadian rhythms to energy levels and mood. In a museum, it has the power to completely change the appearance of a piece of art. It can even become one, as in the case of Charles Sandison: 2.0, an exhibition in PEM’s East India Marine Hall through February 14th that activates words and images from 18th-century ship captains' logs to create an immersive environment of light and shadow.

Balancing lighting with essential preservation considerations requires the blending of technical and artistic knowledge by a team of professionals with diverse experience. PEM is fortunate to have several staff and contractors who successfully collaborate on a behind the scenes activity that is on full view, all of the time.

Exhibit Designer Manager Karen Moreau Ceballos has been with PEM for 12 years. She brings an approach rooted in respect for the object by striving to present it in a way that does not distort its appearance. She believes that skillful lighting does not scream at the visitor with blinding brightness. It is a “whisper, whisper, whisper” that gives visitors the opportunity to experience the artwork as its creator intended. “It allows us to see it in its truest form, “ she says.

Karen works hand in hand with exhibition lighting specialist Scott Benson who has been lighting shows at PEM for 10 years. Scott became interested in lighting after receiving an MA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design, where he was asked to light an exhibition and quickly realized that the gallery needed an upgrade. He immersed himself in information on the subject and a new career was born. Today, he works for many area museums such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Institute of Contemporary Art.

Like all parts of the exhibition implementation process, lighting is complicated. Technology moves quickly and the advances in energy saving, reduced heat emission and new aesthetic opportunities combine to make the options seem endless. PEM Master Electricians Henry Rutkowski and Scott Bates work with Karen and Scott to explore the possibilities. However, an important guide is conservation requirements. Light damage is cumulative and irreversible so each time an object is on view, its life is shortened. A crucial determining factor is material. Art made from glass, ceramic, metal and stone are less sensitive than those made from paper, textiles or lacquer, therefore the intensity varies.