BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Available Light, an internationally recognized lighting design firm specializing in museum, architectural, trade show/special event lighting design, announces the promotion of Rachel Gibney to Principal.
“Rachel has been instrumental to the growth of Available Light from designing world-class projects and running our Core Design Process Committee to opening and managing our Phoenix Studio,” said Steven Rosen, Founder and President. “Over time, she has deeply absorbed and contributed to our aesthetic, culture, and design process. At the same time, her desire to enhance our team’s technical skills—generating computer daylighting studies, developing virtual real-time 3D presentations, studying the effects of light on humans, and more—has made Rachel a real boon to the firm. From higher-ed STEM complexes to museums, Rachel uses light to tell meaningful and compelling stories with lasting impact. Rachel’s design skills and collaborative spirit are of great benefit to our clients.”
Gibney joined the firm as an intern in 2013 and steadily progressed through the ranks from Junior Associate to Associate before opening the Phoenix Studio in 2022, where she served as Associate Principal. Prior to joining Available Light, Rachel began her career as a theatrical lighting designer in Arizona. Today, Gibney remains passionate about using theatrical design techniques to create memorable moments for both museum and architectural projects. She approaches her work with the belief that “lighting design is the art of storytelling through an audience’s subconscious observations.”
Her talents have been instrumental to the success of many award-winning museum and architectural projects, including the University of Connecticut Science 1 Research Center and the Penn State University College of Engineering Research & Teaching Space (West 2).
Gibney holds a BFA from the University of Arizona and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. An industry leader, she is an Allied member of the AIA, serves on the IES Phoenix section board, and contributes to two IES standards committees. She is an educator in the Master of Interior Architecture (MIA) program at ASU’s The Design School. Previously, she served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Studio School of Design.