Field Trip

 

For Students of All Ages

up to 40 students per field trip is recommended
$250 for 90 Minutes

What is a Field Trip to the  Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery Like?

Lumonics is a multi-sensory environment of light sculptures, video art projection, and  music. Your body is relaxed, and the right side of your brain (the creative, emotional side) is at full stimulation.  It is intended to bring you into a state of comfort and expanded awareness.

 

The Field Trip

Tour of the gallery, art studio and the Lumonics School of Light Art

 brief history of Lumonics, among the first and
longest-running light art projects in the United States

 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.

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, and LEDs
Language Arts – a universal language of light and sound.
History – a 21st Century art form

It is an opportunity  for the students to describe what they experience, both orally and in writing.  They are welcome to bring sketch books and journals, and take photos.

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.

* The field trip can be modified to meet special needs of the students.

We suggest using the lesson plan in class after the field trip concludes.

 

 Lumonics Legacy Project
Your financial contribution 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.

Contact Info:
Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery
800 E. 73 Ave., Unit 11
Denver, CO 80229
303.568.9406
www.lumonics.net 
lumonics@gmail.com

 

* For Denver Public School Teachers:
we will provide you with our Vendor Number

 

 

We will send you a lesson plan that we recommend presenting to your students the same day or the next day while the field trip is still fresh in their minds. 

 

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

8th Grade STEM Lab Students, Adams County:

 

Platt Middle School, Boulder County: 

 

 

 

 

Steele Elementary, 4th Grade Art Students:

 

 Students and some parents of the HOPE Online Learning Academy, the first online school in Colorado, originating over 20 years ago. They were very appreciative of the light art and Lumonics Immersed. School Administrator Rebecca also engaged the students with her observations. We emailed our lesson plan to follow up the field trip. HOPE is a non-profit, free, public charter school of the Douglas County School District:

 

Museum of Outdoor Arts Design and Build Program Interns:

 

First-graders from Highpoint Academy

 

RiseUp Community School
High School Art, Science and Language Arts Students:

 

Anastasis Academy
6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Students:

 

A Child’s Touch Summer Camp
The campers from a Child’s Touch brought sketchbooks and colored pencils, asked  insightful questions, and named their favorite light sculptures. Here are some photos:

 

 

First-graders at the Creativity Challenge Community School (C3),
Denver County Public School System:

 

 

High School Physics Students from Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning,
Denver County Public School System:

 

1st Graders from Foster Dual Language Elementary School:

 

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

 

 

 

 

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.

 
 

Link to Full Screen Virtual Tour

 

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)