The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) held its 33rd Annual Meeting and Conference on November 15 and 16, 2002, in Chicago. Nearly 200 IALD and LIRC (Lighting Industry Resource Council) members were in attendance at the conference. The participants' reviews of the seminars were excellent. Everyone enjoyed the social events and the chances for networking.
A breakfast meeting on Saturday morning was the place for announcements of the recent election results. JoAnne Lindsley, FIALD, chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee, announced the election of the following new officers: Charles Stone, principal of Fisher Marantz Stone, the NYC-based architectural lighting firm, has become the first president-elect. He will succeed current president André Tammes at the end of next year. The new position of president-elect reflects the organization's concerns with continuity and what Tammes refers to as “succession planning.” At the completion of his own two-year term, Tammes will become the first official past president of the IALD.
Other election results included Michael Souter as director of membership; Jeffrey Miller as director of external affairs; Robert Prouse as director of education; and David Bird as director at large. Additionally, two members were elected to serve on the membership committee. They are Larry French and Dawn Hollingsworth.
The new officers and committee members assumed their duties on January 1, 2003. “We are very pleased with these new additions to our Board of Directors and Membership Committee,” notes Lindsley. “We are confident that their industry experience and commitment to the profession will be of great value to our mission of promoting lighting design excellence worldwide.”
In other association news, Tammes announced that Marsha Turner would assume the duties of executive vice president of the IALD on January 1, 2003. She will replace Morag Fullilove, who has held this position for over five years. Turner, a certified association executive, comes to the IALD with 16 years of association management experience. She was previously with the Illinois Home Care Council as executive director and the American Medical Association where she served as manager of member services. A graduate of the University of Florida with a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, Turner was selected from over 160 applicants for the position.
Tammes also announced that outgoing executive vice president Fullilove has been elected as an honorary member of the association. Fullilove is relocating to Belgium and plans on consulting. She was honored with gifts and a standing ovation for her years of hard work for the association.
David Mintz, FIALD, chairman of the College of Fellows, inducted Gary Gordon into the IALD College of Fellows. Gordon, founder and principal lighting designer of Gary Gordon LLC, New York, is known as a pioneer in the field of architectural lighting design and has received numerous other distinctions for his work in the profession. “Gary Gordon has made significant contributions to the field of lighting design and to the IALD,” notes Mintz. “His leadership, design skills, and educational efforts have been of paramount importance in integrating light into the fabric of architecture and into the prominent role it now holds.”
The IALD meeting included the third annual educational conference with two days of informative workshops, some of which explored the hot topics that the industry is facing such as energy efficiency and sustainability. Each year the education conference has grown in size and participation. This year's meeting included 10 seminars coordinated by co-chairs Thomas Tolen, IALD, and director of education Mary Claire Frazier, IALD. Topics were targeted to professional development and included a panel discussion on urban lighting plans, seminars on sustainability, illumination in works of art, residential lighting, and a coaching workshop on presentation skills. Focus group and booth sessions with manufacturers gave all attendees time to visit over lunch and participate in small groups to discuss trends, new products, and new services. Manufacturers got to show off the latest and greatest new lighting products including — surprise! — many using LEDs.
One standout session that presented light in a new context was entitled Illumination in Works of Art. Led by presenters Derek Porter, IALD, and Anne Lindberg of the Derek Porter Studio, the session was a look at how lighting has been represented in art as well as the work of visual artists who work with light as a medium, including James Turrell, Dan Flavin, Keith Sonnier, Robert Irwin, and other contemporary artists, some of which were included in the Friday night reception that was held at Lightology, a beautiful new lighting showroom. Lightology hosted an exhibit, Rays of Light, featuring light artists. It was a great party with live music, food, and great networking opportunities.
Next year's educational conference will be held November 14-15 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. For complete information about the IALD, you can check out its website: www.iald.org.