Rosco OPTI-SCULPT™ Lenses Provide A “Superfine” Lighting Solution For The Metropolitan Museum

This past May in New York City, The Met opened their 2025 exhibition for The Costume Institute, entitled Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. The exhibit explores the importance of style to the formation of Black identities from the 18th century to today through a presentation of garments and accessories, paintings, photographs, decorative arts, and more. Continue reading to learn why the exhibition’s lighting design team chose to use Rosco OPTI-SCULPT Lenses to light this one-of-a-kind presentation. 

Subtle Lighting For Dramatic Exhibit Design
When Executive Lighting Designer Renée Molina and Senior Lighting Designer Coby Beck from CS Global reviewed the dramatic concept artist Torkwase Dyson created for the exhibition, they knew it would be challenging to strike a balance between statement and subtlety in their lighting treatment. The team explained that they were inspired by the scale and exquisite presence of the geometric displays and wanted to ensure that they did not disappear against the dark background of the perimeter walls, which required a delicate touch. “We wanted to showcase the beauty of the forms and their uniqueness.” Renée recalled. “Our goal with lighting was both to accentuate the shapes to bring them forward, all while maintaining a balance with the artwork and the surrounding environment.”

Beam Shaping For Track Lighting 
Renée described how they utilized in-house track fixtures to light the individual shapes of forms and perimeter walls but with an available inventory of 4° and 20° fixtures. The team sought a solution to allow them to alter and shape the light beams of this inventory and they chose Rosco OPTI-SCULPT lenses because they were more cost effective than glass lenses and readily available in variety of different beam spreads. 

Over 200 fixtures for the display forms and the perimeter walls utilized the OS 40R60 lenses. This reversible lens provided the lighting team with versatility as it produces a 40° spread when inserted into the fixture in one direction and a 60° spread when inserted in the other direction. Nearly 100 fixtures were outfitted with asymmetrical 20x40 or 10x60 lenses to elongate the light beams for some of the displays as well as some of the artwork. Renée noted, “OPTI-SCULPT really allowed us to shape the beam on the fly.”