One of the present challenges of nuclear and particle physics is quantitative understanding of soft quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Efforts to compute QCD bound states on the lattice are progressing, with calculation regimes getting close to the physical pion mass. New experimental programs in light meson spectroscopy are underway to test the theoretical results. The status of these projects will be reviewed with focus on the GlueX experiment. This experiment will employ the high-rate, 12GeV electron beam from Jefferson Lab's upgraded CEBAF accelerator to mount a search for "exotic mesons". Identification of these represents an unambiguous measurement of the predicted gluonic degrees of freedom in a meson. Amplitude Analysis of meson decays in the hermetic GlueX detector will determine the resonance quantum numbers and select the exotic states. The status of the facility's construction and the current efforts in Amplitude Analysis of simulated exotic states will be presented.
