Winston-Salem – The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem will launch a bold, one-of-a kind, collaborative lighting initiative in mid November involving some of the nation’s premier lighting companies and professionals. Paul Gregory of New York’s Focus Lighting and an internationally acclaimed lighting industry professional will work with lighting students at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to create a spectacular lighting experience November 13-15 at Winston-Salem’s historic Millennium Center, a former post office of classical design built in 1928.  The Center is located on East Fifth Street in Winston-Salem in the thriving Arts District and is a popular venue for arts and entertainment activities.

The project will be a part of one of Winston-Salem’s busiest, arts-packed weekends. Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair, one of the nation’s premier shows for artisans, will run Saturday and Sunday, November 15-16. “The theme for the Millennium Center lighting project will be drawn from the Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair,” said Milton Rhodes, President and CEO of The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.  “That gives Paul Gregory, Norman Coates and University of North Carolina School of the Arts students a tremendously diverse palate to work from and countless creative alternatives for the project.  The arts community is excited and will be waiting for details as the project develops.”

Rhodes described the event as “a gift in the form of public art to residents of the area and visitors to The City of the Arts. It will be a way to experience the arts in a whole new fashion,” Rhodes said. “Only in a city defined by the arts would people have an opportunity to view a cutting-edge installation of this complexity.” 

Gregory has been invited by Norman Coates, Director of the Lighting Program in the School of Design and Production, to teach a master class for lighting majors at the University of North Carolina School of Arts – the nation’s first publicly funded university of the arts.  Coates has designed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater and Opera across the country and for various industrial enterprises. 

“Paul, the students and I decided that to make this master class a memorable educational experience we had to get outside the classroom and into real applications of cutting-edge lighting technology and applications.  The September master class will be the springboard for the November 13-15 lighting project,” said Coates.  “At the same time, we can create a unique visual experience using lighting as the art form that will delight and amaze viewers and make Winston-Salem a destination for architects, designers, and lighting students and practitioners.”

Jane Doub, President and CEO of Piedmont Craftsmen, which sponsors Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair, said the organization welcomed involvement with the Millennium Center lighting project. “Winston-Salem will be offering an extraordinary arts and crafts packed weekend,” she said.  “The lighting installation will add another dimension for veteran Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair goers and create a compelling reason for others to visit Winston-Salem and The City of the Arts.”

Other Winston-Salem events scheduled for the weekend of the Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair and Lighting Project include an exhibition at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Structure, Surface and Expression: Quilt Directions Today; an exhibition of paintings by the 20^th Century “Ash Can School” artist John Sloan titled Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York; an exhibition at Delta Arts Center featuring a collection of greeting cards by leading 20th Century African-America artists, titled To Vivian and John with Love; and a show at the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University featuring New York artist Charles Searles whose artwork is inspired by African dance.

Gilbert and Suzanne Mathews, founders and owners of San Antonio-based Lucifer Lighting, are funding the project.  They are members of the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  Lucifer Lighting is a premier manufacturer of low voltage lighting fixtures for high-end applications.  The company specializes in original lighting solutions that bring to life both indoor and outdoor spaces and commercial and residential spaces.

Several years ago, Gregory spearheaded a lighting project at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth that drew national attention.  The backdrop was the Moudy Building at TCU.  Working with students from TCU’s Center of Lighting Education and inspired by the colors and themes of Southwest artist Georgia O’Keefe, they used the building as a canvas.  Coates said the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem has the sort of architectural details that will accommodate diverse, cutting-edge lighting techniques and create a spectacular light experience for Winston-Salem residents and visitors.

The Lighting Program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Design and Production is one of the foremost stage lighting programs in the United States.  The program supports over 25 productions a year on campus and several off-campus productions and events. The Lighting Program awards a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and has an average enrollment of 38 undergraduate lighting majors.  The students’ experiences in the program include various lighting technologies and design techniques. They are schooled in new ideas, technologies and advance to increasing levels of complexity and responsibility with a combination of lecture, lab and practical production experience. Alumni from the Lighting Program work in most facets of the Entertainment Lighting industry including design, technology, research, development, consulting, architectural lighting, retail and rental sales, support and system design. 

Eric Rimes, Lighting Technology Faculty, has worked with Broadway touring companies for over a decade and realized designs for all levels of theater from no-budget community theater to multi-million dollar Broadway productions.  Together, Coates and Rimes have led the Lighting Program to nearly 100 percent employment of graduates in their program.