Front cover of Lumonics: The Light Art of Dorothy & Mel Tanner
The latest addition of Lumonics: The Light Art of Mel and Dorothy Tanner is now available. The two newest pages include photos and description of the opening exhibit in The Galleri at Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergent Station, and the exhibit at Understudy Gallery in the Denver Theatre District.
The self-published Lumonics book is a chronicle of the Tanners’ art journey and the evolution of their art form, Lumonics. It covers more than 70 years from when the Tanners met as students at the Brooklyn Museum School of Art to the present. It includes more than 125 color photos of the art works from the 1950s to today, organized by decade, including gallery, museum, and art center exhibits.
The book is $20 + $2.75 shipping U.S. The order form is at the bottom of the blog, and there is also an order form on the webpage.
Here are photos of the two new pages, reduced in size:
page of book
page of book
“I’ve got my copy and love it! This is glossy quality paper featuring gorgeous photos of brilliant works and their history.” -Eli Austin
“Bravo, Lumonics team! Beautiful manifestations of wonder & joy that make Art all that we imagine it can be!” – Todd Siler
“It’s a wonderful compilation of so many great things that Lumonics has accomplished!” – Tim Vacca
“The pictures are high quality, the book well done, and it provides a great selection of the Tanners’ lightworks.” – Dorothy Kamm
“If you love the unique and beautiful Light Art of Dorothy and Mel Tanner, you will really enjoy this jewel of a book. With more than 126 colorful images, it provides an exceptional introduction to the Tanner’s extensive bodies of work. I was delighted by the inclusion of so many pieces that I had not seen before. Friends who were previously unfamiliar with Lumonics artwork have appreciated this book as well!” – Roxann Souci
“It’s so wonderful! Thank you for making this special book.” – Kate Perdoni
We are excited about the partnership between Lumonics and the Denver-based, national organization, The Phoenix. Its mission is “to build a sober active community that fuels resilience and harnesses the transformational power of connection so that together we rise, recover, and live.” Since The Phoenix was founded in 2006 by Scott Strode, it now has 131,000 members, and over 1400 are in Denver.
Lumonics was founded by the late artists and visionaries, Dorothy and Mel Tanner. It is among the first and longest-running light art studios in the U.S. The multi-sensory performances began in 1970, and have been presented to students of all ages including those with special needs, and many organizations. Mel died in 1993 and Dorothy died in 2020, two years after she received the Denver Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts at the age of 95. The history of the Tanners and Lumonics can be found on Wikipedia.
Front section of Lumonics with the furniture removed
The mission of The Phoenix fits in very well with our intention to present sober events such as Lumonics Immersed, a multi-sensory experience to refresh and energize your body, mind, and spirit. Each performance is orchestrated live and is one-of-a-kind. Denver Westword described Immersed: “an audiovisual mantra meant to soothe the mind and expand awareness, this drug-free trip through Lumonics is unforgettable.” The experience can give you that elated feeling you are familiar with from activities like running, yoga, dance, and meditation.
Errin Nicole, Phoenix Volunteer at the Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery
We also hope to host dance gatherings, light art classes, and fund-raisers as our relationship evolves. Music Director of the Phoenix, Vince Huseman, has been a wonderful mentor.
Lumonics is an absolutely beautiful immersion of love, original music, and mind bending light and visual art; that blends over 50 years of psychedelia inspired artistic audiovisual mastery with a passion for paving a sober haven. I am absolutely in love with this project and the kind souls who run the show, and will always keep coming back to support and indulge in the immersive experience, and the creative unparalleled creative spirits who keep this vision fresh and ever-growing! Thank you for providing a mind-bending experience that encourages sobriety, there is nothing else like it! 🤯 Come, you will not be disappointed with the work of the pioneers of abstract light art and audiovisual mastery. 🙂 Connor H.
This is one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve had in a very long time. I’ve been clean and sober for a few years, and this was one of the funnest things I’ve done in sobriety. I went with my son (who is recently clean) and we both had a blast! We also both agreed that one doesn’t need the enhancement of anything to enjoy the wonder of the show. I felt it was very special to learn the history of how everything started, and the people who pulled it all together. It’s awesome to have met the staff as well. The only other thing I would have added, was to get up and dance a few times. We will be returning and bringing new people with us to enjoy the experience with. Thank you Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery for making my life a little better for having had the opportunity to experience the gallery and show. Marquette S.
Art and Well-Being
The relationship between art and wellness has been important to Lumonics since its inception.
Shanna Shelby, the Program Administrator at the McNichols Civic Center Building in Denver, nominated Dorothy Tanner for the Denver Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts in 2018. Ms. Shelby wrote about the increasing awareness of how art and mental health are connected: “Several panels at the national AFTA (Americans for the Arts) conference this year explored artistic approaches to community health. I believe that Dorothy’s vision is a prime example of how arts and wellness intersect and promote public health goals. “
“Through the years people have commonly reported having profound spiritual and emotional experiences while contemplating the Lumonics art pieces. It is possible that Lumonics is exerting its effect by creating an immersive experience that feels safe and soothing, but also stimulating and expansive.” Jomar P. Suarez, MD Therapeutic Potential of Lumonics
Let There Be Light: Lumonics Immersed is a Healing Experience by Emily Ferguson, Cultural Editor, Denver Westword “What’s really kept us going is that it’s not just doing art; it’s combining the light and the art that we do and music to bring people to a better, healing place.”
“When perceiving an artwork in-person, the brain is ‘lit up, by something akin to beams from a lamp’…seeing or making art can play a crucial role in healing our bodies and minds.” excerpted from the Lumonics blog about the book, Art That Heals
“Scientific studies increasingly confirm what human beings across cultures and throughout time have long recognized: we are wired for art. The arts in all of their modalities can improve our physical and mental health, amplify our ability to prevent, manage, or recover from disease challenges, enhance brain development in children, build more equitable communities, and foster well-being. The World Health Organization ‘finds evidence of the contribution of the arts to the promotion of good health and the prevention of a range of mental and physical health conditions, as well as the treatment or management of acute and chronic conditions arising across the life-course.’” The International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab)
We look forward to our partnership continuing to grow and be a positive influence on the Phoenix community members.
Pierre Lemarquis, author of Art That Heals. Photo: Sylvain Thiollier
French neuroscientist, musician, and author Pierre Lemarquis’s book, Art That Heals, writes about “science-backed evidence that seeing or making art can play a crucial role in healing our bodies and minds. [The book] weaves together art history, philosophy, and psychology while citing astounding current findings from his field of neuroscience about the healing power of art.”
“Research on the subject has been accumulating for some years. A 2019 World Health Organization report, based on evidence from over 3000 studies, ‘identified a major role for the arts’ [in the] prevention of illnesses. And in 2018, doctors in Montreal, Canada, made headlines when they started prescribing patients who suffer from certain diseases with museum visits to visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.”
Lemarquis is also “president of a new French association called An Invitation to Beauty, which offers ‘cultural prescriptions’ to patients, including artwork viewings. The UNESCO-supported organization has created an art collection of original works to loan to patients for their rooms at France’s Lyon Sud Hospital, and this program is set to expand.”
Neurological studies show that “art of all kinds acts on our brains in a multi-faceted, dynamic way. Neural networks are formed to achieve heightened, complex states of connectivity. In other words, art can ‘sculpt’ and even ‘caress’ our brains. When observing art, we can get the feeling that we are participating in art’s creation, or putting ourselves in the artist’s shoes.”
“The art-activated areas of our brains that light up when both making or contemplating art, release hormones and neurotransmitters when stimulated, which are beneficial to our health and make us feel good. These include dopamine (lacking among Parkinson’s patients), serotonin (found in antidepressants) as well as endorphins and oxytocin, which both can support pain management and reduction. Adrenaline and cortisone can be activated so as to have an invigorating effect on the body, or on the contrary, they can be blocked for a relaxing effect, depending on the artwork. All of these hormones can help treat mental illness, memory loss, or illnesses associated with stress, among other health concerns.”
“Our brains capture a lot more information than we are conscious of,” Lemarquis says. When perceiving an artwork in-person, for instance, the brain is “lit up, by something akin to beams from a lamp.”
“You don’t treat an illness, you treat a person,” says Lemarquis. “You need medicine that’s purely scientific to address the illness, and medicine that’s a little artistic, to address the person, their humanity. The two are complementary. People need to dream. They need imagination.”
Saturday, October 1 will be our last Lumonics Immersed until we start up again on Saturday, November 5. We are excited to be hosting Denver’s Audacious Theatre for the rest of October.
Beginning Friday, October7th, Audacious Theatre will be premiering Project 7 Sins. Performances will take place every Friday and Saturday through October 29th.
Audacious Theatre, Project 7 Sins Friday, October 14, and Saturday, October 15, 8 p.m. Lumonics, 800 East 73rd Avenue, Unit 11 Project 7 Sins, Audacious Theatre’s immersive foray for Halloween, actually ups the ante by performing the show within the walls of one of the most immersive spots in town: the light-art palace Lumonics. The bones of the story — a tech company discovers a way to harness the power of the seven deadly sins — go awry when those nasty sins stage a breakout during a power outage and run amok, as loose sins do. The run continues through October 30 and admission is $35 to $55, with more perks added by increments, at WellAttended. Read our story on Project 7 Sins here.
Audacious Theatre immerses audiences in the business of sin
One of the perks of partnering with Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery is that the warehouse studio space provided professional lighting for the project — and it’s used well. The studio is immaculately designed by late Denver artists Dorothy and Mel Tanner, whose work was recently displayed at Meow Wolf. The audience is ushered into the warehouse’s gallery area, which is filled to the brim with stunning works of glass art masterfully lit.
