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George S. Sexton, III is an American designer, specializing in the areas of lighting design, [1] museum design and museum planning services.
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George S. Sexton, III is an American designer, specializing in the areas of lighting design, [1] museum design and museum planning services.
Sexton studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1966, where he received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1971. Upon graduation, Sexton began his work in architectural lighting design through his employment at Claude Engle, Lighting Consultant in Washington, DC. He continued his work in the field of lighting design by taking a position at the National Gallery of Art both designing and lighting exhibits. This early professional experience working in DC museums coupled with his modernist training as an architect have been the foundations of his approach to lighting and museum design. Further shaping experiences include working as Acting Keeper of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, England, as well as the Head of the Design and Installation Department for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco at both the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
In 1980, Sexton opened his own lighting and museum design firm, George Sexton Associates, based in Washington, DC, with satellite offices in Norwich, England and New York City. [2] [3]
Trained in architecture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, George Sexton found himself - after graduation, amid a recession in the early 1970s — seeking employment beyond architecture firms and found a position with lighting designer Claude Engle. Assigned to the east wing extension for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which Engle was working on at the time, was what set Sexton on a course of museum work that has been the cornerstone of his professional lighting career. [4]
As referenced in an interview of George Sexton, "Design-wise, it's about listening to the client. In terms of lighting, we are of the school that you shouldn't notice our work; it should be transparent. ... Daylight is very important to the visitor's experience. Architects and lighting designers have a great comfort level in working with daylight. It is something that can be managed in a way that is consistent with museums, but when making that choice, there is a cost of controlling daylight that needs to be considered. ... Regarding technology impacting museum lighting, there's a whole area of lighting controls, particularly as they relate to conservation and energy issues. Interactive media as well. We need to be clever as designers and consider these other sources (i.e., the whole range of media generated light) as part of the lighting solution." [4]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(April 2020) |
Sexton has provided design services for an array of international and domestic clients, including the following:
Public & Civic
French Pavilion, International Expo 2010, Shanghai China
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston Massachusetts
22 Bateman's Row, London UK
1100 First Street NE, Washington DC
Goucher College Athenaeum, Towson Maryland
Lumen United Reformed Church, London UK
Star-Spangled Banner Exhibit, National Museum of American History, Washington DC [7]
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC [9]
National Association of Realtors Headquarters, Washington DC
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington DC
Louis Vuitton, Roppongi Hills, Japan
Cleveland Museum of Art Building Restoration, Cleveland Ohio
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Texas
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Wisconsin
Herz Jesu Kirche (Heart of Jesus Church), Munich Germany
Denver Art Museum, Denver Colorado
Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum—McIntire Room, Wilmington Delaware
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