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Meet Marc Billard

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marc Billard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marc, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

While working as a carpenter in South Florida, my neighbor Jocelyn Tanner told me about her brother, Mel Tanner, who was a light artist and produced an event called Lumonics with his wife Dorothy. I had the address in my wallet for quite a while, and when I decided to visit, the address was hard to make out because of my daily perspiration from construction! But I was able to figure it out, and once I saw their artwork, I was mesmerized. They told me they were looking for someone to assist them and after a short apprenticement in the evenings, I began to work full-time crafting their art works. I was also able to create motorized trays, lenses, and laser fixtures for the multi-sensory experiences they produced. I have been part of the project ever since!

panoramic photo of section of Gallery at Lumonics by Marc Billard

Marc, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Lumonics is among the first and longest-running light art projects in the US. I am most proud of continuing the multi-sensory art form that the late founders of Lumonics, Dorothy and Mel Tanner, originated in 1969. I create original music, visuals, and special effects for the Lumonics Immersed production that we present every Saturday at our location in Denver. We also have a field trip program for students of all ages, and a guided tour for seniors. I also reproduce selected light sculptures of the Tanners as limited editions, and curate Lumonics art exhibits.

panoramic photo of performance space at Lumonics by Marc Billard

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The goal of our project is to find a permanent location to house over 200 light sculptures. More than half the collection is currently in storage. It would also include our Lumonics School of Light Art, a working shop, and a performance space where we would work on automating the immersive performances.

photo of Lumonics installation at Meow Wolf Denver by Marc Billard

Have you ever had to pivot?

Lumonics founders Dorothy and Mel Tanner are both now deceased: Mel in 1993, and Dorothy in 2020. When Dorothy passed away at the age of 97, my longtime teammate at Lumonics, Barry Raphael and I decided to re-invent the multi-sensory performances that Lumonics is know for, which began in 1969. We call it Lumonics Immersed. We can’t duplicate the live performances of the Tanners, but we create the vibe. We reset the performance space, converted many pieces to LED so it could run on a DMX system, and upgraded our whole projection system. I also created many hours of visual music for the performances. It has a great impact on attendees of all ages. One person wrote this Google review: “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.” Contact Info: