The State Historical Museum in Des Moines has been undergoing renovations to deal with structural issues in the building. Museum curator Leo Landis says lighting in exhibit areas is also being upgraded.
“We’re getting better at this,” Landis says, “but our galleries will be darker than most people like.”
That’s because ultraviolet rays damage the materials in an exhibit.
“Ultraviolent is especially bad on textiles and on printed works that either have inks or painted surfaces,” Landis says. “Natural light will damage things, but ultraviolent is the most damaging.”
Landes says the ultimate goal is to have the lights triggered when guests walk into a gallery and go off when no one is present. That goes for the bunker where artifacts not on display are stored, too.
“Light control in the State Historical Building’s storage vault? The best thing to do is keep the lights off,” Landis says.
Landis made his comments during an interview in a work area inside the vault — and you can hear the faint hum of the compact fluorescent bulbs in the light fixtures overhead. Some of the fixtures in the vault are fitted with sleeves to screen out as much of the damaging light as possible. Landis says the goal is to have all lighting in the museum and vault updated by 2026.