Upcoming Events
Lumonics Immersed on Saturdays at 8 pm
Imagine stepping into a world where light sculptures, video art projection, and music converge to relax your body and engage your mind and emotions. Each performance is new and orchestrated live.
You may have seen some of the Lumonics light art at Meow Wolf Denver, DIA, McNichols Civic Center Building, the Museum of Outdoor Arts, Fiddler’s Green, Lakewood Cultural Center, Understudy Gallery +. We now welcome you to the source where over 75 light sculptures are on display, and are part of the immersive experience presented on Saturday.
“Lumonics is such an incredible collection. They are part of the Crown Jewels of Denver.”
– Justin Stucey, Walt Disney Imagineering
“Nestled in a warehouse in Denver is one of the most unique artistic experiences I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. By day, the building is home to the Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery — a space that serves as a permanent art installation for the futuristic light sculpture of artists Dorothy and Mel Tanner. But on Saturdays, the gallery hosts Lumonics Immersed, a mesmerizing and immersive theatrical series of live performances.”
– Toni Tresca, OnStage Colorado
“Entering Lumonics Gallery in Denver is like walking onto a spaceship. When the immersive show begins, it’s as if the spaceship is gearing up for takeoff. It’s trippy, for sure.”
– Kelly Hayes, Denver Gazette
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery presents
Lumonics Immersed
Saturday
8 pm to 10 pm
Doors: 7:45 pm.
Performance begins at 8:15 pm.
Tickets:
From $15-$28.52
“We present the most up-to-date form of the Lumonics multi-sensory expression that originated in 1969. Our aim is to expand the boundaries of sensory engagement and artistic expression, and honor Dorothy and Mel Tanner’s contribution to light art and the immersive experience.”
– Marc Billard / Barry Raphael
A 2-minute video of some of the elements of Lumonics Immersed:
Lumonics Legacy Project
Your ticket purchase goes toward protecting and preserving more than 200 light sculptures created by the late Mel and Dorothy Tanner, the founders of Lumonics. The money raised helps create a sustainable legacy and future, establishing a Friends Of Lumonics non-profit, and creating partnerships to share this art with the world.
Some Favorite Quotes
“Lumonics was immersive before it was cool. Come experience a multi-sensory journey that refreshes your body, mind and spirit, presented by one of the first and longest-running light art studios in the U.S. — which just happens to be based here. It’s like stepping through a looking glass and into a sci-fi wonderland.”
– Denver Westword
“Giving a shout out to our friends and light art legends @lumonicsgallery !! Their gallery space is a national treasure and something everyone should experience. You can view the vast collection of sculptures created by Mel and Dorothy Tanner and stay for the live performance by resident light technician and virtuoso Marc Billard. Lumonics Immersed is held Saturdays at their gallery.”
– @night_lights_denver
“Lumonics Immersed at Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery is a trip without drugs: so much to see, hear, and experience. Art should change us in all the best ways. It should open our minds, hearts and souls, and enliven our own creative instincts. My first time at this ongoing event did all that and more.”
– Will B.
Articles and Reviews Page
Denverite | Rocky Mountain PBS | Denver Westword |
OnStage Colorado | 303 Magazine | 9NEWS +
Logo by Dorothy and Mel Tanner, Photo: Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
more photos and info on the Lumonics Immersed webpage
All upcoming Sun Ra Projects are on hold until percussionist Janine Santana fully recovers from her shoulder surgery. If you want to be notified of the next date, send us an email. Thank you!
Immersive Jazz-Art Experience
hosted by Janine Santana
Hugh Ragin and Friends present:
The Sun Ra Project
Hugh Ragin – Trumpet
Janine Santana – Percussion
Sean Winters – Keyboards and Effects
“Lumonics, the mind-blowing and therapeutic light art created by the late Dorothy and Mel Tanner, was custom-made to mesh with music, which adds a new sensory layer to the studio’s immersive light shows. This weekend’s Immersive Jazz-Art Experience, The Sun Ra Project, a trio led by Colorado-based jazz star Hugh Ragin on trumpet, with Sean Winters on keyboards and electronics, and Janine Santana on percussion, pairs light art with the Afrofuturistic experimental jazz of Sun Ra. Admission is a bargain to hear music created by a man who claimed to be from Saturn.”
– Denver Westword
Special guest performer Hugh Ragin is a lecturer of Jazz Studies at the College of Music at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He leads a variety of ensembles, master classes and workshops. Hugh Ragin also played trumpet with Sun Ra’s Arkestra.
Dr. Ragin received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Five Points Jazz Festival.
““Music is the spiritual language of Earth.”
– Sun Ra
Sun Ra (1914-1993) was one of the most unusual musicians in the history of jazz, An outsider who linked the African-American experience with ancient Egyptian mythology and outer space, Sun Ra was years ahead of all other avant-garde musicians in his experimentation with sound and instruments, a pioneer in group improvisations and the use of electric instruments in jazz. He was best known for his “cosmic jazz”.
Sun Ra released more than a hundred albums of visionary jazz, comprising well over 1,000 songs, and making him one of the most prolific recording artists of the 20th century.
Sun Ra was among the first musicians to make extensive and pioneering use of synthesizers and other various electronic keyboards. In 1969, he was given a prototype Minimoog by its inventor, Robert Moog.
– various internet sources, including the National Endowment for the Humanities
Hugh Ragin is a lecturer of Jazz Studies at the College of Music at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He leads a variety of ensembles, master classes and workshops. Hugh Ragin also played trumpet with Sun Ra’s Arkestra. He has a residency at Immersive Jazz-Art.
Hugh Ragin was raised in Houston, Texas, and began playing trumpet in his early teens, taking lessons in classical music; he was also a member of the Houston All-City High School Orchestra.
Dr. Ragin has toured with jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, Anthony Braxton, and Roscoe Mitchell . Currently, he is a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Mr. Ragin earned a DMA in jazz studies from the University of Colorado-Boulder.
+
Host Janine Santana is the Artistic Director/Radio Personality at The Arts Validation Network and Leader/ Conguera at Janine Santana Latin Jazz. A popular on air host at KUVO Denver for many years, Janine hosts Afternoon Jazz Mondays through Fridays from 2:30 pm-5:30 pm Mountain Time on TAVN-Jazz , and Saturdays from 10 am -11:30 am
Join us for an evening of art, film, and live improvisational jazz accompanied by the Lumonics Light Orchestra/video projection. Host Janine Santana selects a jazz film for each event. The evening concludes with a mini-Lumonics Immersed, a transformative multisensory art experience.
***** (Google Review)
Really interesting, tucked away spot. I went for a jazz show with inspiration by Sun Ra and it fit the space well. They showed a short film and also gave a taste of the normal programming there which involves all of the light based art and visuals on screen synchronized to music. There’s comfy couches, floor cushions, and snacks included with the ticket price.
Steve K.
“Janine Santana here…and I want to personally thank all who have attended our Jazz-Art Immersion events. The response has been absolutely heart-warming! Each event is unique, with a different film and an individualized light experience curated by Lumonics Gallery. A percentage of any profit goes to support The Arts Validation Network, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization.”
Things to Do In Denver by Cassidy Ritter (Denverite)
(highly recommended)
PLANNING AN EVENT?
If you have an idea for an event that you would like to present at Lumonics, we look forward to hearing from you, and we enjoy collaborating…whether a fundraiser for an organization, a meeting, a private gathering for friends, a poetry slam, workshop, or a book/music release party. You are welcome to email us:
or visit our event planning page.
“If you’ve been by Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, then you already know it’s unlike any other gallery in the city. Artist Dorothy Tanner sculpts amazing, impossible-to-describe works featuring light as a main component; the gallery also plays host to events that include music, meditation, Chinese Qigong, and workshops on expanding your consciousness.“
Denver Westword