Brian Schneider is a lighting designer and licensed electrician based in Lafayette, Louisiana.
A New York City native, Brian now integrates Louisiana culture and point of view into his designs. He collaborates with groups such as Opera Louisiane, Basin Dance Collective, Turner Fischer Center for Opera at LSU, and Haymarket Opera in Chicago.
When away from the theater, Brian designs and builds custom lamps, and lighting installations. His work has been shown at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans and the Hilliard Museum of Art. Brian uses light as his personal language, blurring the lines between a profession and a calling.
Much of my work as a lighting designer is inherently collaborative. So my art circle includes directors, choreographers, opera singers, dancers, musicians, set designers, writers, filmmakers, curators, and even homeowners.
However, at the very center of my art circle is my family. My wife and son are my biggest inspirations and constant collaborators.
How do you expand your art circle?
When I am not working, I am fairly introverted and have a tendency to isolate. I have to make a point to get out into the community, even if it is for a coffee. The result is almost always positive. I often get into some conversation, where I learn about new projects, or people that I must meet.
What value do you see in having a creative community?
Great art is not created in a vacuum. It is essential to be around other creatives, especially with people who have different backgrounds and viewpoints. That is how you come across new ideas, and new opportunities. Without a steady diet of new input, your work can become stagnant.
I am a big fan of the concept “Creative Abrasion”. It is a term more widely used in business, but it applies to everything. The basic premise is that the best ideas are generated when diverse groups of people come together. The friction that comes from collaborating with different ways of thinking will sharpen everyones perspective.
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?
The underlying belief of my work is that light is essentially a spiritual material, and the act of creating with light is a spiritual journey. I hope that my contribution to this community is that people are more aware of the magic light offers to their artistic pursuits, and in their day to day life.
Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund managed by Lafayette Travel
