Reminder: Office closed

Just a quick reminder that our office will be closed for the holidays starting tomorrow. We will reopen on Thursday, January 2nd.

See you in 2014 and...
 

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!!

Pawtucket Bridge wins AIA Rhode Island Honor Award!

 
 ALD is proud to announce that the Pawtucket Bridge project has won a 2013 AIA Honor Award in Urban Planning/Urban Design. We are very happy to have worked with Richard Ventrone, the Northeast Collaborative and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation on such a successful public improvement project.

AIA Rhode Island (the Rhode Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects) is an organization of architectural design professionals dedicated to enhancing the quality of our built environment, and thereby the quality of life. The Chapter endeavors to bring together and serve all who are interested in the art and science of architecture.

To help bring awareness to local achievements in architecture, the AIA awards outstanding projects in the field every year. Other Honor/Merit Award winners this year include: Lerner Ladds Bartels' "Design Exchange", Durkee Brown Viveiros & Werenfels' "URI Climbing Wall Building" & Northeast Collaborative's "Micro Lofts at the Arcade", among others... 

To learn more about the AIA, check out their website.

The Countown to Christmas has begun!

Now that December has arrived, ALD is looking forward to the holiday season and our annual e-card! If you have not received a card from us in the past and you'd like to be on our email list... please email us at info@abernathylightdesign.com to sign up!

For this holiday season, we are taking a look at some of our Christmases past... Check out this Youtube video we found of ALD's lighting for the Paramount's Kings Island Winterfest in 2005.

Only 22 days left to Christmas 2013!

Happy Thanksgiving!

ALD is wishing all of you a safe, happy, and yummy holiday weekend! Enjoy the turkey!

Jason Rainone IALD, LEED AP BD + C installed as High Priest of the Pawtucket Chapter No. 4

Congratulations, Jason!

This past week Jason was installed as High Priest of Pawtucket Chapter No. 4 a group within the York Rite branch of Freemasonry. 

His dedication, commitment and passion extents outside of ALD into our community - we are so proud!  Nice work!

Katherine Abernathy, FIALD, Honored as 2013 Inductee to IALD College of Fellows

Congratulations, Kathy!

The IALD is pleased to announce three inductees to the IALD College of Fellows for 2013. The IALD Fellow designation is awarded to members of the IALD for valuable contribution to the art and science of lighting design, and for their continued service to the IALD. Fellows are professional members with a minimum of ten years experience.    Watch the video to find out more about Kathy's career and contributions to the IALD.

And the WINNER is....

... Entry # 8 by Jason! 

In second place was Entry #4 by Nicki...

 

...and in third was Entry # 3 by Molly!

Thank you to everyone who voted... and thank you to everyone who carved a pumpkin this year!
We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

Only Three Days Left to VOTE!!!

The Second Annual Pumpkin contest continues... and you only have THREE DAYS left to vote for your favorite!

So far, Entry # 8 (pictured) is in the lead... The winning pumpkin will be announced the day after Halloween. Like us on Facebook and cast your vote today!

ALD's Second Annual Pumpkin Contest!

The carving is done... so now it's time to visit us on Facebook and vote for your favorite pumpkin!! Simply "like" the individual photo of your favorite to cast your vote and feel free to share our pumpkin album with others! The winner of this year's contest will be announced on Friday, November 1st.

May the best pumpkin win! :)

Stay Tuned - ALD's Annual Pumpkin Contest!

This Friday will begin ALD's Annual Pumpkin Contest! All employees of the firm will be creating their own carvings this Friday in the office and then we will post photos of each pumpkin on our Facebook page. Next Tuesday begins the voting process... All of our followers on Facebook can see the photos and "like" their favorite pumpkin.  

The pumpkin with the most likes by Halloween wins!! 

Stay tuned next week for the 2013 photos... Here is a photo of all the entries last year. The winner was the Hello Kitty pumpkin.

Interested in learning more about ALD?

Join our new mailing list! 

As you may have already noticed, we have been trying to increase our online presence and have been posting regularly on this blog, on Facebook/Twitter, and on LinkedIn. As part of this increase, we also plan to start releasing a quarterly update newsletter. This newsletter would come directly to your inbox four times a year and include all the major highlights from our work here at ALD. If you'd like to join this new mailing list, please click on this LINK!

Valley Breeze article: Local pair say it was all about collaboration on 'gorgeous' bridge

ALD is so pleased that the Route 95 Bridge is generating so much positive feedback! Besides the PROJO article we highlighted last week, Kathy and the architect of the bridge itself, Richard Ventrone, were featured in a 9/4/13 article for the Valley Breeze. Below is a snippet of the article written by Valley Breeze Staff Writer Ethan Shorey. Ethan and his photographer came to our office to conduct an interview and take a photo of the bridge collaborators.

 

 

NORTH PROVIDENCE - Katherine Abernathy has put her stamp on plenty of picturesque scenes around the world, but says none of those projects compare to the work she did to help create the final look of a new local landmark.

Abernathy, a North Providence resident and president of Abernathy Lighting Design on Thomas Street in North Providence, is the woman drawing wide praise for her elaborate light system on the new Pawtucket River Bridge.

Working closely with Richard Ventrone and his Ventrone Architecture, of North Scituate, Abernathy says she couldn't be happier with the final result of the new bridge, a project that was more collaborative than any she had ever worked on before.

"This bridge is so gorgeous during the day, in so many ways it was easy to light, because it just begged for it," she said, adding that the look of the bridge by day gives the lighted bridge "strength and boldness at night."

Abernathy said she is not surprised by all of the positive feedback on the new I-95 bridge in Pawtucket, but emphasized that the final product wouldn't be a success without all the work done before she and fellow designer Jason Rainone came along, especially the input of a Pawtucket bridge design task force. The $83 million bridge looks so great that officials from the Department of Transportation should submit the project for a national award, she said. 

He's worked on many Rhode Island bridges, said Ventrone, but this is the first one where the final product wasn't just a result of trying to "ornament" the bridge once the basics were in place. Even the Providence viaduct project, which is now commencing, is not being done with the kind of thoughtful consideration and open-mindedness that happened with the planning and construction of the Pawtucket River Bridge, he said.
"I don't think I'm ever going to work on anything as monumental as this," said Ventrone. "This was a team of people really coming together to make something great, and that's rare."


To read the full article, check out the Valley Breeze's website! The article also features a video collection of photos of the new bridge!

In case you missed it...

Kathy and ALD were recently featured in an article for the Providence Journal! The article, by Andy Smith, discussed our recent design for the Route 95 bridge in Pawtucket.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

NORTH PROVIDENCE — At Christmas, the bridge will glow red and green. For July 4, it will be red, white and blue. And on St. Patrick’s Day, of course, it will be green.

The wizard behind this holiday color on the new Pawtucket River Bridge is Katherine Abernathy, a lighting designer based in North Providence who has illuminated everything from Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Georgia.

Abernathy said she and her colleague Jason J. Rainone have been working on the bridge lighting since 2008, meeting with representatives of the state Department of Transportation, the City of Pawtucket, Northeast Collaborative Architects (formerly Newport Collaborative Architects), Commonwealth Engineers & Consultants, and electrical engineers Gaskell Associates.

She said she can’t remember who first came up with the idea of the bridge lights changing colors.
In Abernathy’s design, metal-halide and LED (light emitting diode) lights provide white light for the pylons at each end of the bridge, the bridge approaches and the underside of the structure. Colored LED lights are used within the Art Deco eagle wings that guard each end of the bridge, with small round lights outlining the curve of the central arch. A single band of light runs along the main span.

The colored lights, capable of 16 million color possibilities, are controlled by a computer that can be programmed for the entire year.

To read the full article, check out the PROJO's website!

ALD now has WBE status nationwide!!

Abernathy Lighting Design was recently designated as a Women's Business Enterprise by the National Council. This means our WBE status is nationally recognized! Being a WBENC business allows ALD to make connections with other professional companies and increase our marketing reach to potential clients by making us a qualified option for their diversity standards/programs.

The WBENC's national standard of certification (implemented by The Center for Women & Enterprise)  is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and on-site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women. By including women-owned businesses among their vendors, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier/vendor diversity programs.

About CWE
The Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 to empower women to become economically self-sufficient and prosperous through business and entrepreneurship. With offices in Boston and Worcester, MA and Providence, RI, the CWE supports women's businesses throughout New England through education, technical assistance, strong corporate-community relationships, and access to capital and certification. Since its founding, CWE has helped over 28,000 entrepreneurs start and grow new businesses, helped create 37,000 new jobs in New England, and helped generate over $1 bullion in wages. The CWE is the New England Regional Partner Organization for the WBENC, and has certified over 1,300 women owned businesses. www.cweonline.org

About WBENC
The Women's Business Enterprise National Council is the nations's largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. WBENC is a resource for the more than 700 US companies and government agencies that rely on WBENC's certification as an integral part of their supplier diversity programs. www.wbenc.org

Here is proof that a team that truly collaborates produces a fantastic project.  ALD is honored to have been part of this Team!

Join Abernathy Lighting Design as our second bridge is realized after 5 years of design, sweat and tears!
Congrats to the entire Design team, it has truly been a terrific collaborative effort!
See you Saturday!

http://www.tourblackstone.com/bridge.htm

Pawtucket Bridge 550 light rendering

Join us in Welcoming our Newest Team member!

Another visitor center complete! Head to the outer banks of North Carolina and Explore The Fort Raleigh Visitor Center!

Kathy was honored to speak in June at Providence RI's artist and entrepreneur monthly gathering, Clambake. Check out the article in the Providence Journal who recaps this event as well as the other networking opportunities in Providence!

This just in from Abernathy Lighting Design.....

Returning Sparkle to Central Falls Rhode Island

Abernathy Lighting Design was asked to create a simple yet powerful lighting concept for the Roosevelt Bridge that crosses the historic Blackstone River in Central Falls.  With limited to no budget ALD created a photo shop image and performed a one night simple mock-up.  

Photo shop image of lighting design

Saturday night May 4th, 2013 - Dr. Robert Billington of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council presented the first ever bridge lighting ceremony over the historic Blackstone River.  This was done in conjunction with the 2013 Rhode Island Cherry Blossom Festival, which celebrates the ongoing urban revitalization of the Blackstone River Valley industrial corridor of Pawtucket & Central Falls, and is a statewide signature heritage and Asian cultural event.

Abernathy Lighting Design is very pleased to have helped Central Falls RI bring back a little "sparkle" to the Blackstone Valley!  

actual bridge lighting May 4th, 2013

Why Hire a Lighting Designer?

Light is a technically difficult and astonishing medium that requires mastery of varied and continually evolving disciplines. A lighting design practice integrates the arts, sciences, and business of illumination design and implementation, far beyond concerns of visibility and horizontal foot-candles.

WHY HIRE A LIGHTING DESIGNER?

You get a professional that specializes in lighting...

·         Technology

·         Technique

·         Education

·         Independence

You get the benefits of Professional Lighting Services...

·         Equipment Cost Control

·         Operations Cost Control

·         Prevent cost from over lighting

·         Proper lighting can improve productivity

·         An artistic eye to lighting can take your project to the next level

How do you qualify a “Lighting Designer”?

·         IALD Professional and Associate Members

·         LC Lighting Certification

·         IESNA: Illuminating Engineering Society of North America

·         Lighting Design Award Programs

·         Lighting Education

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) in conjunction with the Lighting Industry Resource Council (LIRC) has also created a document called the Guidelines for Specification Integrity.   

“The Guidelines for Specification Integrity, 2005 edition provides specification recommendations and actions specifiers can take relating to various phases of a lighting project's development, from the early design phases through completion of construction and commissioning. The Guidelines outline and clarify the channels and entities involved in the specification process to help control the budget process and avoid cost escalations leading to substitution of specified products. The Guidelines have been updated to address issues including various project types, international specification issues, project phases in the USA compared with other countries, sustainable design issues, and more.”  This is an excellent document that should be read by all.  It can be purchased from the IALD or on-line at the IESNA bookstore. 

Something that is important at Abernathy Lighting Design and is discussed in the Guidelines but important enough to reiterate is that collaboration is the key to success!  Be sure to collaborate with not only the design team but with your local lighting representative and the lighting manufacturers for the success of the project.  

The IALD website has a great section on the benefits of incorporating quality lighting design into your next project... check out their site for more information!

Going back to our roots... designing for theatre!

ALD recently designed two musical productions for Dean College - Oklahoma back in November and Godspell  this past weekend! Both productions were fabulous experiences and we enjoyed working with Jim Beauregard and his talented group of students. If you happened to see either show, let us know what you thought!

If you missed them, one of our associates is currently working as the technical director and our office assistant is the stage manager for Rhode Island College's upcoming production of Urinetown (April 18-21). ALD has done the lighting designs for some past RIC Productions including The Who's Tommy in 2004 and Sweet Charity in 2006 (see photo belows).

Check out Urinetown next weekend 
and thank you for supporting the local arts!

Photos from Oklahoma at Dean College

Photo from TOMMY at Rhode Island College

Photo from Sweet Charity at Rhode Island College

WBE status in RI and MA!

Meet Our Staff

Katherine C. Abernathy, LC, IALD
Principal Lighting Designer
The project types Kathy has worked on through out her career included museums – science centers, children’s museums, entertainment venues, visitor centers, theme parks, offices, classrooms, retail, retail malls, health facilities, showrooms, convention centers, restaurants, office facilities and exterior building lighting.






Christopher Abernathy, LEED AP B+C
Lighting Designer
Since the inception of Abernathy Lighting Design, Chris has collaborated on several projects such as Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Technology Center at Coalbrookdale, Ironbridge, the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Retail, The Greenbrier Hemisphere Restaurant, 3880 Lounge and Ripley’s Believe it or Not and most recently Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi.



Jason J. Rainone, LEED AP B+C, IALD
Lighting Designer
Jason has been working with Abernathy Lighting Design since 2002 and in the years since, has collaborated on a great many projects, including The Pawtucket Bridge # 550, Ferrari World – Abu Dhabi, The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, The New World of Coca-Cola, The Tampa Bay History Center, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, The Pratt Hill Condominium Complex, The Gateway Auto Museum, The Greenbay Packers' Hall of Fame, The Cincinnati Reds Retail Shop, The Arab American National Museum, and The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Nicole Frechette
Office Assistant
Nicole received her BA in Theatre and in History from Rhode Island College and has her Masters degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Rhode Island. Recently returned from a summer as the Production Stage Manager for the Clinton Iowa Showboat, Nicole is currently on the Adjunct Faculty for the Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance at RIC and works as a freelance stage manager in the RI community. 

About Us

Established in 2001, Abernathy Lighting Design is a creative studio made up of lighting designers trained in the world of theatre and entertainment. This provides us with a unique perspective and a dramatic approach to the art and science of lighting. This background also tempers that approach with a true understanding of collaboration and creativity. It is our objective to help each client realize their final design goals with special attention to the visual interest and excitement brought to a project by a carefully considered lighting design.

Sustainable Lighting Design addresses human needs (to support visibility and productivity), economic needs (minimize initial equipment costs and reduce operation costs), environmental needs (reduce carbon emissions, hazardous waste, and control of outdoor light pollution), and aesthetic needs (quality of light).