Does this seem complicated or is it pretty simple?
Pretty simple. It could be done with an Arduino and suitable remote.
The devil is in the details. Are you making ONE for your art project, or designing something you hope will be the next be the next big toy? How long a battery life do you need while the lights are off? Safety certifications? What do you actually want when the project is over (a device, a design, and/or a process?) Who owns what when the project is over?
If I were to pay an electrical engineer or ?? to design it for me, what would be a fair price to pay? And finally, where would I look or advertise for help with this - could a student at DeVry do this?
$100+ per hour for a 'real' engineering project. Probably $10000 or more to get to the first manufacturing run (more to manufacture overseas.) Not a student project (especially the manufacturing issues.)
For just a device (or a couple...)
It's within hacker/maker capabilities (whether a student is actually able to make anything is another question.) You buy the Arduino and the IR modules and such, you can probably find someone to put together a device for $100 and a couple (cheap) dinners. Just based on it being a neat idea and a fun diversion, and you know, "free beer"...
Or, assorted folks on arduino.cc or similar forums would probably lead you through doing it yourself, all for free. (which is a hell of a bargain, because you'd be getting an education as well as a device.)
As to "where"... you probably need someone local. Do you have any local "hacker spaces" ?