5 minute read
Lighting the Past with Precision
from Oct/Nov 2025
Photo credit: Museum of the Rockies
By Randy Reid
Morlights Shapes the Museum of the Rockies
The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, recently unveiled a new permanent dinosaur exhibit designed in collaboration with Blue Water Studios. Behind the scenes, lighting played a critical role in bringing the prehistoric story to life. Casey Diers, Senior Designer with Morlights, led the lighting design, balancing modest budgets with the need for precision and drama.
Designing with Constraints
Unlike blockbuster museum projects with high-end fixtures and unlimited resources, this exhibit relied on modest track lighting and creative problem-solving. “When you’re working with tight budgets, you can’t just add another light,” Casey explained. “You have a light or two to cover a case, and you have to make it count.”
To comply with the museum’s track standard, the team relied on Con-Tech track and economical track heads, paired with high-quality Soraa lamps with a 95 CRI. Accessories such as snap lenses, louvers, and barn doors provided beam control, allowing adjustments from a native nine-degree spot up to wider distributions. “We convinced the museum to splurge a little on the lamps. That way, we had good optics and color quality even with budget-friendly fixtures.”
Creating an Underwater World
One of the highlights is the Mosasaurs, an ancient aquatic dinosaur featured as the centerpiece. To evoke the sense of being underwater, Casey used PSS WaveLight projectors. “They’re bulletproof—plug them in and they just work,” he said. The subtle movement of projected light gave the room the ambiance of an underwater landscape while also helping to soften harsh shadows.
Lighting angles were carefully chosen to highlight unique features of the skeleton, such as its teeth. But because artifacts often arrive at slightly different angles than drawings suggest, on-site adjustments were crucial. “We spend time repositioning track heads until the light falls exactly where it needs to—like on the teeth or the hand— whatever detail the curators tell us is most important.”
Warmth, Color, and Control
Although one might expect a cooler color temperature to support the underwater theme, the team used 3000K throughout the exhibit. Casey explained, “Color is relative. Even 5000K would look warm next to blue light. We prefer warmer tones in exhibits—it feels more comfortable.”
Dimming controls were not in the budget, so Morlights turned to an old museum trick: screens and gels. By layering mesh screens of varying densities in front of lamps, they reduced light output without the expense of a dimming system. “You just put the whole thing on a relay—on in the morning, off at night—and you’re good to go.”
Tackling Challenges
The design faced multiple challenges:
• Brown on brown: Lighting a brown skeleton against a brown background required careful contrast. Warm gels helped key elements pop.
• Shadow management: Artifacts mounted away from walls created unavoidable shadows. Infinite budgets might allow wall-mounted shuttered fixtures, but here, Casey relied on careful aiming and fill light strictly from the ceiling.
• Interactive displays: A projection wall paired with a scroll-wheel control required a practical solution. “The room was dark to make the projection pop, but we had to light the button on the plinth. Otherwise, visitors wouldn’t see it—and wouldn’t use it.
Cases and Details
Some exhibit cases were internally illuminated by the fabricator, while others used budget-conscious solutions. For higher-end applications, designers might specify display-case fixtures with precision shutters—but this project kept costs in check. This project was about smart, simple choices, so the cases were lit from above” Casey noted.
Casey spent three days on-site aiming and level setting, working closely with museum staff. “We’ll make a pass, and it looks good to my eye. But I know very little about skeletons. So I walk through with staff and they’ll say, ‘That hand is really important.’ Then we’ll shift light from the torso to the hand.” This collaboration ensured that scientific priorities were aligned with design intent.
The Business of Lighting Design
Morlights logged 79.5 hours on the project, including 21.5 hours on-site aiming and level setting. For Casey, these hours highlight the hands-on nature of museum lighting: climbing ladders, adjusting optics, and responding to last-minute exhibit changes.
He is quick to point out that while projects like this may not win design awards, they represent the bulk of museum work.
“Trade publications often feature big, flashy projects. But 90% of museum work in North America is like this—good, quality design on modest budgets. This is what it looks like to be a lighting designer.”
A Lasting Impression
The new exhibit at the Museum of the Rockies demonstrates how thoughtful design can elevate modest resources. With creativity, attention to detail, and collaboration, Casey and the Morlights team created an immersive experience that highlights both artifacts and replicas while telling a compelling story about life 74 million years ago.
“It’s not glamorous,” Casey reflected. “But it’s the work that matters. Lighting shapes how people see, learn, and connect with history. That’s why we do it.”
LIGHTING TOOLKIT: MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES
• Track & Fixtures: Con-Tech track and budget-friendly track heads
• Lamps: Soraa LED lamps, 95 CRI, with snap lenses for beam control
• Beam Accessories: Louvers, barn doors, and lenses (spot to wide)
• Projectors: PS WaveLight projectors for underwater movement effect
• Color Temperature: 3000K throughout
• Light Control: Screens and gels used for dimming where needed
• Special Details: Warm gels to offset “brown on brown” skeleton/ background contrast
