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Nov 22
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Dorothy Tanner (left) and Mel Tanner, founders of Lumonics. Jeff Nass and Ursula Seaemann/Courtesy photo
The First Friday Artwalk will feature a one-of-a-kind art collection, entitled “Lumonics,” which will be unveiled in early December. The exhibit will be housed at The Boathouse, 6th and Yampa St. with an opening reception during FFAW at 5 p.m. Dec. 6. Light refreshments will be served while viewers walk through the display of glowing sculptures.
The collections presentation is the result of a dedicated effort of several groups including Western Centers, Family Bowl, the Boathouse, The Boat Yard and The Tavern at the Glen.
Western Centers is the real estate and investment management company behind Snow Bowl.
The exhibit will be available for viewing through Jan. 5 with gallery hours from 1-8 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-1p.m. Sundays. Appointments can also be made for private viewings
A press release for the event noted that “Lumonics” is one of the first and longest-running light art projects in the United States. It arose out of the “light and space movement,” which places a focus on highlighting light, volume and scale using industrial materials like glass, plexiglass, neon, wood, metal and fluorescent lights, all of which interact with their surroundings.
The movement helps viewers gain new perspectives on life while also stimulating individual and collective creativity.
The Steamboat exhibition will be a microcosm of the vast art collection, with both one-of-a-kind and limited editions being available for sale.
Dorothy and Mel Tanner, who passed away in 2020 and 1993 respectively, are the founders of “Lumonics”. Throughout their careers, both gained high levels of recognition and earned several awards for their light-based artistic renditions.
The movement and the art resulting from it is being carried forward by Marc Billard and Barry Raphael, who are the artists behind the Steamboat Springs exhibition. Both Billard and Raphael worked with the Tanners. Based in Denver, they have dedicated their lives to archiving and presenting the Lumonics collection to audiences throughout the country.
Billard recalled the awe that he felt after viewing the collection for the rst time. Working as a carpenter in Florida, he was invited over by Mel Tanner’s sister, who was Billard’s neighbor. Seeking something more in his life, Billard accepted the opportunity to view Tanner’s works.
“I showed up…and thought ‘oh my goodness, what a place’,” said Billard. “It was just beautiful.”
After volunteering, Billard was hired by the Tanners and contributed to building the collection.
As a school teacher, Raphael was looking for a “personal breakthrough” as he sought what he called the “ultimate field trip.” After attending performances at the Lumonics Light and SoundTheatre, he was enamored and also volunteered his services to the Tanners.
After Mel passed, Billard and Dorothy Tanner dedicated their lives to continuing the movementby producing immersive shows, as Tanner wanted to continue the “healing” nature and legacy of the art.
“It was like a second or third life of creativity until a couple of years before Dorothy passed,” said Billard. “Once she passed, Barry and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do. We decided to continue the light and sound immersion.”
Both Billard and Raphael will be on site during the exhibition of the collection to share theirhistory within the movement. They will also explain the “labor and love” that went into each piece, bringing the stories of the Tanners back to life. “We are a team that is very collaborative,” said Billard.
Items within the exhibit will be available for purchase, with proceeds being directed to the Lumonics Legacy Fund and the Family Bowl. Past fundraising has been targeted to those impacted by the Maui wildfires as well as the free summer concerts at Snow Bowl and other community non-profits.
To keep the movement going, both Billard and Raphael have also hosted classes to maintain the momentum of light and space-based art while also archiving components of the collection.
“Our main goal in our lifetimes now is to get all the artwork in one large space that will be able to live on after us,” closed Billard. “We hope the public in Steamboat Springs gets excited about the artwork and would want to lend a hand to what we are doing.”
For more information on Lumonics and the legacy of the collection, visit Lumonics.net
Nov 20
Nov 19
The Boathouse
Contact: Rory Clow
Creative Director
email: rory@westerncenters.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Family Bowl and The Boathouse Present
LUMONICS: A Pop-Up Art Exhibit at The Boathouse
Western Centers, the Colorado-based real estate investment and management company behind Snow Bowl, Family Bowl, The Boathouse, The Boat Yard, and Tavern at The Glen, is proud to facilitate and welcome the first Steamboat-based gallery showing of Lumonics light sculptures.
Presented by The Boathouse and Family Bowl, the pop-up art exhibit of Lumonics will be hosted at The Boathouse, Western Centers’ luxury event space on 6th and Yampa Street, with the Opening Reception during the December First Friday Art Walk on Friday, December 6th. Doors at 609 Yampa Street will open from 5pm-8pm with light refreshments for guests as they stroll through the dimmed gallery to view selected Lumonics glowing sculptures from a collection of over 200 works.
Following the Opening Reception, the pop-up gallery will remain open at The Boathouse through January 5th with gallery hours on Fridays from 1pm-8pm, Saturdays from 10am-8pm, and Sundays from 10am-1pm, or by appointment.
Lumonics is among the first and longest-running light art projects in the US, originating in Miami, Florida in the 1960s. Lumonics began at the same time as the Light and Space Art Movement gained momentum in Southern California, which was characterized by a focus on highlighting light, volume, and scale using materials like glass, neon, and fluorescent lights that interacted with the surroundings. Similarly, Lumonics founders Dorothy and Mel Tanner achieved recognition for their work using experimental art materials traditionally used in industry, with light as an art source.
Mel Tanner died in 1993 in South Florida and Dorothy Tanner died in 2020, two years after receiving the Denver Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts when she was 95. Based in Denver since 2008, long-time studio members Marc Billard and Barry Raphael continue Lumonics, archiving and exhibiting the highly acclaimed collection created by the Tanners and presenting Lumonics immersive experiences. Together, they are evolving the multi-sensory performance art for which Lumonics is also known.
One-of-a-kind and limited-edition sculptures shown at The Boathouse will be available for purchase, with proceeds going towards the Lumonics Legacy Project to help fulfill the goal of housing the Tanners’ art in a permanent art center with a performance space and light art school. A percentage of sales will be donated to Family Bowl, a local non-profit known for providing free meals during the pandemic, raising funds for the Maui Wildfires, providing free summer concerts at Snow Bowl, and acting as a fundraising catalyst for other non-profits that focus on community cohesion.
Billard and Raphael will personally host gallery hours at The Boathouse, offering guests first-hand stories about the Tanners’ work, details about the labor and love behind the sculptures, and the history and future of the project.
The Lumonics collection is celebrated as “One of The Most Impactful Shows EVER!!!” by Tariana Navas-Nieves, Director of Cultural Affairs at the City and County of Denver, and as “One of the Crown Jewels of Denver” by Justin Stucey of Walt Disney Imagineering. Many of their sculptures are housed in private and public art collections, including the Museum of Outdoor Arts, Meow Wolf, and Fiddler’s Green.
Join Western Centers, Family Bowl, The Boathouse, and Lumonics’ Marc Billard and Barry Raphael for the unique opportunity to experience this distinctive art form, available locally at 609 Yampa Street starting December 6th.
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