Thanks to Rocky Mountain PBS for including the Lumonics Field Trip Program in its PBS KIDS newsletter.
Community Partner Content
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery
This Denver performance space presents field trips for students of all ages!
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www.rmpbs.org/kids#kids-newsletter
The Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, among the first and longest-running light art projects in the U.S., provides a unique setting that offers a blend of artistic heritage, innovative installations, and a dedication to introducing this evolving art form to students of all ages.
Lumonics meets all the guidelines for ADA accessibility.
For Students of All Ages
up to 40 students per field trip is recommended:
$250 for 90 Minutes
$150 for 90 Minutes for Title 1 Schools
What is a Field Trip to the Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery Like?
Imagine stepping into a world where light sculptures, video art projection, and music converge to relax your body and engage your mind and emotions.
The Field Trip
Tour of the gallery, art studio and the Lumonics School of Light Art
lesson in the art of seeing
brief history of Lumonics
award-winning light and sound immersion
question and answer session, tailored to the type of class attending
The Light and Sound Immersion
Lumonics Immersed is an innovative approach to art and creativity, and can be a memorable and transformative experience.
We provide the setting so the students can exercise their imaginative powers.
The Elements:
Mel and Dorothy Tanner’s Light Sculptures
Original Special Effects, Music, and Projection
Lighting and the Effects Orchestrated Live by Lumonics’ Marc Billard
The Art of Seeing
There are several activities during the field trip that encourage the students to closely observe their surroundings and the detail of the light art with its varied geometry. This will be helpful in lifelong observation of art and other facets of life.
While the field trip can benefit every curriculum, it has specific application to:
Art – the introduction of an art form involving several disciplines
Science and Mathematics – an art form that utilizes technology including lasers, electronics, video art, and LEDs
Music – original music composed by Dorothy Tanner and Marc Billard
influenced by jazz, classical, world, electronica, spoken word, and other genres not
yet identified
Language Arts – an opportunity to express themselves orally and in writing
History – a 21st Century art form
The students are welcome to bring sketch books and journals, and take photos.
We suggest using the lesson plan in the classroom after the field trip concludes.
* With a special request, Lumonics will adapt the sensory effects of the program such as light, music, and projection to accommodate students with special needs.
As a very stimulating program, students of all needs who respond to strong visuals and music would derive the most creative benefits of the immersive experience. However, the multi-sensory effects can be scaled ‘up or down’ according to the needs of the population served—we’re here to serve everybody!
Field Trip Advisor:
David Henley, PhD, author, retired professor, and former chair of the Creative Arts Therapy Program at the Art Institute of Chicago and Long Island University
Lumonics is the creation of artists Dorothy Tanner (1923-2020) and Mel Tanner (1925-1993).
Mrs. Tanner was the recipient of the 2018 Denver Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts.
Contact Info:
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery
800 E. 73 Ave., Unit 11 Denver, CO 80229
303.568.9406
www.lumonics.net
lumonics@gmail.com
We are honored to be a Community Partner with Denver Public Schools.
* For Denver Public School Teachers: we will provide you with our Vendor Number
Please submit the form and we will contact you. Thank you!
Below is a Virtual Tour of the Gallery and Performance Space at Lumonics Wait a few seconds for the virtual gallery to load to begin the tour of the room. You can also use your mouse to manipulate the images, or use your fingers on a mobile phone.
The virtual tour is best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer.
For lunch before or after the field trip, Rotella Park is 5 minutes from Lumonics and has several pavilions with many tables:
Rotella Park, 1824 Coronado Pkwy N, Denver, CO 80229
We truly enjoyed hosting the 8th grade science students at the STEM Lab (Adams 12 Five Star Schools).
“Lumonics Light and Sound Gallery was an incredible experience that we used to kick off our problem-based learning unit called Decibel Detectives. We are investigating solutions to sound pollution. Noise pollution is classified as the second most important cause of causing health ailments around the world and is right behind air pollution. Research shows that about 40 million adults in the U.S. alone have hearing damage in one or both ears that may be due to noise exposure. In addition, as our population grows so do other noise pollution related health issues. Lumonics Light and Sound Gallery recognizes the importance of how light and sound can be a transforming, healing, and regrounding experience. In a world where there is so much noise, we can and do have ways to make sound healing and the gallery gave us that experience today. Thank you for such a wonderful and immersive experience that calmed our minds and our bodies as we reconnected with the positive benefits of sound.” -Liz English, STEM Coordinator STEM Lab
Platt Middle School, Boulder County:
Steele Elementary in one of the Gallery rooms:
Westminster Public School Transition Program
Students from Highpoint Academy
RiseUp Community School High School Art, Science and Language Arts Students:
The Public Health Institute of Denver Health’s Engaging Youth Expertise for Prevention (“EYE for Prevention”) program strives to prevent the onset of substance use among Denver’s youth. The purpose of the program is to provide young people in the Denver area with a safe, inclusive space to explore different forms of art as healthy coping mechanisms.
Here is a group photo at the end of the field trip:
We truly enjoyed hosting a field trip to Lumonics for the group from Honeyman Services who offer a different approach to day program services. Its targeted group are individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities transitioning out of High School into Adult Services, ages 18 and older.
“Thank you so much for a wonderful tour, I have been hearing rave reviews! Wish I could have been there, too! Thanks again, so much!” Shanna Watson
Excerpts from Papers Written by High School Students Attending Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
“Stepping into the Lumonics gallery was an expression that was extremely profound. It has inspired me, as sculpture that is beautiful does not need to be made from the typical materials. It can be made out of modern materials and techniques. Lumonics had made me think about what the true purpose of art is, and the different forms it can take. I am very grateful to have discovered this little oasis of sanity in Denver. I appreciate all the effort and attention to detail in a world that wants to move so fast.” Eric N. Dingel, Physics Teacher, Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
“Art, for the most part, is really hard for me to comprehend and understand. There is so much art in the world that I look and go ‘why is that being bought for $20,000?’ But there is also so much art that I see and it can make me feel emotions just by looking at it. This was the case at Lumonics . When I was able to hear the story of the artists and then see their art, I was able to comprehend the art on another level.” D.S., 11th grade
“The experiences that you create at your gallery are some of which I will never forget. The environment is breathtaking and hypnotizing. Unlike many galleries you have made the perfect atmosphere. I think this is the most amazing aspect of your gallery because although the art alone is wonderful, the music, videos, and the space really brings it all together to make something out of this world. I really enjoyed my experience at Lumonics and I feel inspired by what I saw.” G. M., 10th grade
“When my class and I went to Lumonics, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. All of the work was instantly so powerful and absolutely amazing. To see how the artists had worked with not only the physical shape and ideas they had for a piece and how the colors contributed to the idea, it really showed me how much emotion can be expressed through the uniqueness of the sculptures.” G.P., 10th grade
“The pieces I found most intriguing would be the ones that used mirrors in them because we have doing a lot of different things with the way light works and how mirrors and glass can affect that, and it is refreshing to look at it from a different perspective. I really could see a passion from everyone working there, and it was very inspiring to see someone passionate about the work that they do.” E.H., 10 grade
“I personally connected with the art pieces in a way that made me feel happy and see something new. The art also changed my perspective on many different things that are part of my day to day life. This was an amazing museum and I would love to come back eventually.” S.M., 10th grade
“We live in a dimension characterized by what we can see, hear and taste. However, every 1 out of a million people decide to look past the veil of solid into the world of the abstract. It’s in this state that a person really perceives how much they don’t know. This is what I believe you created with your artwork. You’ve tried to glimpse the unthinkable and present that in the physicality of this reality. Thusly, the result is beauty beyond human thought.” N. C-S, 12th grade
“Before I went to the Lumonics lab, I felt sort of staleness in my preferred medium (pencil on paper). I hadn’t really taken the time to consider different art styles, or even a different medium. The realization I had inside the lab was there was such an enormous world of art I could explore. These sculptures used color, shapes, poses, and especially lighting in ways I hadn’t thought about before. I had been feeling somewhat trapped in my own world. Now that I’ve gone back to my preferred world, the Lumonics experience enticed me to do more research. I realize now that there’s so much more that I can learn, and much more that I can do to improve. So here’s a thank you. Your little gallery made me realize that there is so much in this world, and the way light can make you feel.” B.L., 12th grade
“As a female artist growing up in the 21st-century, I have always been so thankful for the women that have come before me. I find it inspiring the dedication to the exhibits through her unconventional art. Considering that the main artist behind these works of art is a 90-year-old woman who has been doing this for over 50 years is inspiring. I have artists such as Dorothy to thank for my acceptance in the art world as a female.” S.S., 11 grade
________
“Dorothy Tanner and Lumonics are true treasures in our Denver Community. The collective works of this group – a team which has been together for over four decades – is inspiring on many levels. As a cohort, this group of friends and comrades has brought to life the vision of Dorothy – to use light as a means of healing, and to produce art that has no other option but to bring joy to the viewer. Not many people can say they’ve dedicated their entire life to the single craft of creating, healing, and joy building. Dorothy and her team have done this – and as she enters the final chapter in a life well lived, recognition for her achievements is long overdue.”
-Jami Duffy, Denver Arts Advocate, Denver Cultural Affairs Commission Member, Artist, & Executive Director of Youth on Record.
Art and Well-Being
The relationship between art and wellness has been important to Lumonics since its inception in the 1960s..
Shanna Shelby, the Program Administrator at the McNichols Civic Center Building in Denver, when nominating Dorothy Tanner for the Denver Mayor’s Award for Innovation in the Arts in 2018, 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
“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 by Pierre Lemarquis
“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 International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab)
Lumonics on Kiddle: Mel and Dorothy Tanner facts for kids