Our Latest Newsletter

Hi Everyone! Hope the new year is going well! Here is some of what’s going on at Lumonics.

Culture Hopping with the Biennial of the Americas Lumonics truly enjoyed hosting the January Culture Hop of the Biennial of the Americas which is based in Denver, CO. Attendees were very appreciative of the light art and the min-documentary/immersive performance we created for them. Thanks to The Biennial for the Instagram photo! We hope to participate in the 2027 Festival.

Students from the Strasburg School District Last week we hosted an enthusiastic and inquisitive group of students from the Strasburg School District (Title 1). The students ranged from 2nd grade to 8th grade, and despite the variation in ages, they got along with each other so nicely. Strasburg is located about 40 miles east of Denver. Lumonics is a community partner with the Denver Public Schools Foundation. blog

Last year on the PBS Newshour, there was a segment about “neuroarts”. Journalist Jeffrey Brown visited the Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore for PBS’s Arts and Culture series, CANVAS. One of the topics was the book, ‘Your Brain On Art: How The Arts Transform Us,’ about the growth and importance of this field that connects the arts and our health. The book was written by Susan Magsamen, the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) at Johns Hopkins. “The field of neuroarts is the study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain, body, and behavior – and how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and wellbeing. The goal of the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative is to ensure that the arts and the use of the arts – in all of its many forms – become part of mainstream medicine and public health.” I reached out to Susan, and she appreciates what we are doing at Lumonics where the intention of the light sculpture installations, the field trips, guided tours, and immersive performances is to promote well-being and stimulate creativity, and provide a. setting that can enable fresh insights. She invited us to be part of the community at the Neuroart Resource Center. We are happy to connect with other art projects, researchers, and educators from around the world.

Lumonics is now open by appointment. The Gallery displays 75 light sculptures from a rotating collection of over 200 artworks by the late Dorothy and Mel Tanner. 11 light sculptures from the collection have been selected as limited editions, and all are on

display at the Lumonicss Gallery.

Your purchase helps support the Lumonics Legacy Project.

Medium: Acrylic Glass and LED Lighting Prices range from $2,000 to $12,500. All are signed and numbered. more info: www.lumonics.net/gallery

How We Create the Music and Visuals at Lumonics Immersed

Many attendees inquire how we create the performances at Lumonics. The source material for the projection comes from an archive of imagery that late artists Dorothy and Mel Tanner originated at the Lumonics Light and Sound Theatre in Miami in 1969, and continues to this day in our performances of Lumonics Immersed here in Denver. Much of the new material is derived from rides in the Colorado mountains and then abstracted to varying degrees. The music source is sampled sounds and keyboards, much of the music composed by the late Dorothy Tanner when she was in her 70s and 80s. You can read more about it and see more photos on our blog.

2-minute video excerpt

Lumonics Immersed Fridays and Saturdays 8 pm to 10 pm Doors: 7:45 pm Performance: 8:15 pm Tickets: From $15-$25 Each performance is one-of-a-kind and orchestrated live. “For over 50 years, Lumonics has been a pioneer in light art. Founded in the 1960s by the late Dorothy and Mel Tanner, it is ‘one of the first and longest-standing light art studios in the U.S., long before immersive art was considered a trend.’” – Denverite

We present the most up-to-date form of the Lumonics expression that originated in 1969. Our intention 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

Directional (1987) by Mel Tanner

What People Say:

“This place is such a hidden gem in Denver. The art here has a deep and fascinating history, and the Tanners built a true legacy around it. You can see how spaces like Meow Wolf and other immersive art experiences owe some of their inspiration to what Lumonics has been doing for decades.” – Tyler A. “Lumonics is such an incredible collection. They are part of the Crown Jewels of Denver.” – Justin Stucey, Walt Disney Imagineering