It is daytime or nighttime? It’s been hard to tell with nearly constant dusk settling in around us. The days continue to get shorter and shorter.

That is why Studio Place Arts (SPA) is joining forces with Northern Lights Technologies of Montreal, Canada, to provide an infusion of energy for community members in central Vermont. This unique, cross-border, business-nonprofit collaboration was hatched late last week.

Starting December 14 through the end of January, when people visit SPA they will have a chance to test two lighting products produced by Northern Lights Technologies that respond to seasonal affective disorder.

“We always tell people to come to SPA to recharge their batteries by experiencing art,” explained Sue Higby, Executive Director. “Adding a small bank of lamps by Northern Lights Technologies in the gallery seemed like the ideal next step.”

Higby herself has used a desk lamp made by this company for more than 13 years and admits that she could not live in central Vermont without it. After her older brother did a study of sunlight availability in central Vermont over an 80-year period and reported that the region has less light than Seattle, Washington, she realized that it was time to act.

“These lamps are extremely beneficial, but it’s handy to test a product like this in advance,” noted Higby. “Just ten minutes under my lamp each morning and I feel like I’ve had breakfast on a palm-lined patio in Miami Beach.”