The Weatherspoon will renovate the lighting system in one of its galleries thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation as part of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative. The initiative funds arts institutions’ efforts to improve sustainability and climate responsibility. The Weatherspoon is a member of the inaugural cohort of this grant opportunity and is the only North Carolina recipient. The grant money will support the long-term goal to upgrade the Weatherspoon’s entire lighting system from outmoded incandescent bulbs to LED lights. This upgrade will improve the visitor’s experience of viewing artworks within the galleries, and the modern and energy-efficient lighting will both lower operating costs and reduce the museum’s energy use. Through its careful documentation of the process and energy savings, the Weatherspoon hopes to serve as an example to the local community, promoting climate awareness and responsibility to all who engage with art.
Image: Xaviera Simmons exhibition in the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Photo: Martin W. Kane, University Communications, 2021.
