Cynthia Torp President

As President of Solid Light, Inc., Cynthia Torp has assembled and directs a comprehensive team of design experts that includes graphic and environmental designers, programmers, writers, directors, producers, researchers, and fabricators in multi-media and exhibit design and development.

She is an accomplished designer and illustrator in her own right, with 25 years of experience helping companies, publishers and institutions communicate with their audiences. Clients ranging from small non-profit educational organizations to multinational corporations have used her skills as a specialist in promotional and museum exhibit concept design and execution. Her award-winning work has been seen the world over inall media, including magazines, newspapers, books, outdoor boards, multimedia, corporate offices, and museums. 

Cynthia’s client list is filled with Fortune 500 Companies, major publishers and public institutions such as AT&T, Brown Forman, KFC, American Airlines, Intel, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Random House, HBO, Hitachi, United Airlines, University of California at Berkley, Seagram’s, Reader’s Digest, NASA, and Sony. She was the official illustrator of print materials for the California Raisin campaign throughout its entire eight-year run. As Creative Director at Architype, Architecture Interiors Graphics, Inc., Cynthia managed projects involving architectural graphics of all kinds: signage, glass installations, wall graphics, floor graphics, visualizations, and renderings in print and video. 

At Solid Light, Inc., she is able to incorporate her love of architecture and history into exhibit design. She has directed major exhibit and multi-media projects for the Frazier Historical Arms Museum in Louisville, Kentucky; the Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, Kentucky; Western Kentucky University; and the Carnegie Center for Art and History’s Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage Underground Railroad Exhibit in New Albany, Indiana. She directed the creation of the visitors experience at Maker’s Mark Distillery, Loretto, Kentucky; the Recommended by Duncan Hines exhibit at the Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky; a permanent exhibit gallery at Historic Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky; a permanent exhibit on Lincoln and Joshua Speed at Farmington Historic Home in Louisville, Kentucky; and an exhibit gallery for the McConnell-Chao Archives at the University of Louisville. Cynthia is currently directing work on visitors experiences for the Jim Beam Distilleries in Clermont, Kentucky; the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretive Center in Clarksville, Indiana; Sauza Tequila in Tequila, Mexico; as well as a new history exhibit for the Carnegie Center for Art and History.

Cynthia has generously volunteered many hours of her talent for organizations including the Clothesline Project; the Louisville Visual Art Association; the Underground Railroad Exhibit for The Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana; Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, Indiana; Women 4 Women; and others.

Sarah Yates Creative Director

Sarah holds an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Louisville, and brings over 25 years of experience writing for the academic, non-profit, and business world.

After eighteen years as a college writing instructor and administrator at Indiana University Southeast, she left teaching to become Executive Director of the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, an artists’ residency facility. During her tenure as Director, she was elected to the board of the Alliance of Artists’ Communities, a national consortium of artists’ residencies, and served as national Vice President. She has also served as the Executive Director of the Louisville Visual Art Association, where among her accomplishments were Passion & Process, a national print invitational, and Designing an Icon, the first U.S. exhibit of original concept drawings from the golden age of American auto design—the Muscle Car Era.

At Solid Light, Sarah has served as the chief writer of the master plan and exhibit scripts for the Owsley Brown Frazier International History Museum, as well as its fundraising, newsletter, promotion, and the Royal Armories Strategic Initiative Proposal. In addition, she wrote the master plan and exhibit scripts for the Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center. She also completed the planning and scripts for the Carnegie Center for Art and History’s Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage, an exhibit featuring a 90-minute multimedia interactive DVD program about the Underground Railroad, which was designed for the exhibit and for classroom use with middle and high school students. She has done research and writing, including an audio script, for Farmington Historic Plantation focused on the Enduring Friendship between Joshua Speed and Abraham Lincoln. She has written scripts and artifact copy for the visitors’ experience at Maker’s Mark Distillery and the McConnell- Chao Archives exhibit gallery and films.

In addition to her work with Solid Light, Sarah is also a published poet and fiction writer.

Karen Abney Design Director

As Design Director, Karen brings more than 30 years of experience as a Graphic Design and Marketing professional, working with many design firms as designer, art director, creative director, and owner.

In 1988, she and her husband formed the award-winning Abney/Huninghake Design Group, a graphic design and marketing communications company that has produced work for local, regional, and national clients including GE Appliance, Humana, and Safeco. In the course of her career, Karen has garnered over 100 local, national, and international design awards, including awards from the New York Art Director’s Club, the Dallas and Houston Art Director’s Clubs, and Louisville’s Advertising Club and Graphic Design Association. Karen’s design work has appeared in PRINT Magazine, HOW Magazine, and many graphic design annuals.

In 1995, the US Small Business Administration named Abney/Huninghake Design Group “Small Business of the Year” for Kentucky. She is also a founding member and past Vice-President of the Louisville Graphic Design Association, and member of the Society of Environmental Graphic Designers.

Since coming to Solid Light, she has been involved in the concept, design, and production of interpretive exhibits, interior and exterior wayfinding, and signage programs.

Jonathan Noffke Project Manager

Jonathan’s extensive experience in project management, museum administration, AV installation, design, and exhibit fabrication represent an invaluable skill set for the Solid Light Team.

Angie Fleitz Project Manager
MBA

With an MBA from the University of Louisville, Angie Fleitz brings strong administrative and organizational expertise to Solid Light. She placed high in a number of Business Plan Competitions, including the UBS PaineWebber–bCatalyst New Venture Competition in 2001, and the Spirit of Enterprise MBA Business Plan Competition and 11th Annual New Venture Competition, both in 2002.

As Director of Retail Operations at the Kentucky Derby Museum, Angie managed the gift shop and online store, supervised annual operating revenues of $3 million, and oversaw product research/design. During that time, she also won a contract to operate a permanent, on-track store as Retail Concessionaire, where she collaborated on marketing and event planning with Churchill Downs, managed licensing contract obligations on use of the Churchill Downs brand, and orchestrated business plans and strategies.

As a Project Manager at Solid Light, Angie concentrates on coordinating various aspects of projects, including a focus on multimedia, budget supervision, schedule and deadline oversight, meeting financial goals, and measuring process efficiency.

Ben Jett Designer

Justin Sasse Designer
Associate IIDA

Kyle Elzy Writer

A graduate of Indiana University Southeast with a BA in English and significant drawing and graphic design experience, Kyle contributes a wide range of creative insight to the exhibit design process at Solid Light. His sense of visitor experience through visual learning allows him to craft narratives that are both engaging and interactive.

Robbi Ray Research Coordinator

At Solid Light, Robbi’s curiosity and love of history brings her to the most valuable assets on any given project. Currently completing a Masters in Humanities with a focus in Art History, she contributes knowledge of the available resources and techniques for collecting information and skill in information analysis and interpretation. Her background in stage design and theatre arts has been instrumental in shaping her creative vision and helping her acquire a keen eye for the most valuable images in environmental storytelling.

Lillian Gascoyne Project Coordinator

With 25 years of experience working with architects, graphic designers, and exhibit designers, Lillian Gascoyne’s understanding of the creative process enables her to liaise between creative professionals and clients. In addition to managing day-to-day operations at Solid Light, she has honed her research skills and applied them to recent exhibit projects.

Carrie Musson Designer

Recently graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a BFA in Architecture and a concentration in Communications, Carrie draws from her architecture background through space conceptualization, underlying structure and codes, and creative design. At Solid Light, Carrie works with the design team gathering conceptual ideas and visually translating them into physical spaces. 

Her liberal arts education at Miami exposed her to a variety of conceptual design skills as she completed eight design studios with projects throughout the United States and one in London, England. The interdisciplinary experience at Miami allowed Carrie to collaborate with graphic designers and interior designers throughout her education, expanding her interests into exhibit design.