sculptor, video artist, painter, poet,
composer, performance artist, teacher

The major challenge for me in art is to keep under control the tyranny of a logical mind. The spirit that moves me is capricious, unruly and irreverent. Most of my work grows out of intuitive impulse — the rest gets underway by just playing around.

My intention is to create objects (paintings, sculptures, fountains, furniture) with light as an intrinsic element that influences and alters the environment it is in. How we feel, what we see, is largely the result of the color vibrations that envelop us.

Light, the master illusionist, has the power to create, define, and solidify, or leave in shadow what we believe to be real.

Dorothy Tanner was born in The Bronx, NY. She studied woodcarving with Chaim Gross and sculpture with Milton Hebald and Aaron B. Goodleman.

While a student at the Brooklyn Museum, she met Mel Tanner. They married and moved to Syracuse, NY where they opened the Syracuse Art Workshop, teaching painting and sculpture.

In 1963, they returned to New York City and founded an artists co-op, Granite Gallery, on East 57th Street. The Granite Art Association organized seminars, forums, and exhibitions. "The New Face in Art" Forum took place at the Loeb Center at New York University. Participants were Louise Nevelson, Red Grooms, and Norman Carton.

In 1965, after traveling extensively in Europe, they established a studio in Miami. Their interest in plexiglas and its unique light transmitting quality engaged both Dorothy and Mel in experimentation that led to the major element of the Lumonics art form...light.

The Lumonics Theatre opened to the public in Miami in 1969. It was a new art form that combined painting, sculpture, fountains, live projection, electronics, aroma, and music. This project became their main focus and dedication.

From 1969 to 1978, The Lumonics Theatre continued to be developed. There were ongoing performances for audiences ranging from student groups and planetarium directors to drug rehabilitation groups. Several art/technology installations were commissioned for the United States and South America as well as home and office environments.

The next major development was video. Through videotape, the multi-media projection could now be preserved. They were no longer limited to a real-time format.

In 1979, a federal grant was accepted to create a future ecology demonstration center in San Diego, CA and to produce videotapes for cable television.

In 1981, the Tanners were commissioned to create a Lumonics environment in Bangor, Maine. A reporter wrote, "Mel and Dorothy Tanner and their associates, a remarkable group, have turned the old Canal Bank on Broad Street from a stodgy place of business and high finance into a place of genuine magic."

In 1982, the Tanners and associates moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. WBZ-TV commissioned a world map; and Boston public television station WGBH commissioned sets for Frontline and Nova.

In 1985, the group returned to Florida. The Tanners mounted a successful exhibition at the Patricia Judith Gallery in Boca Raton. A new wing was added to house their light sculptures.

The Tanners opened their Fort Lauderdale studio to the public in 1988. It became home to the new Lumonics Theatre. Both the art and the performances were given much critical acclaim.

Front projection wall of Lumonics Theatre, 2005
Photo by Callie Zirkle, Eastsider
© Forum Publishing Group

After the passing of Mel Tanner in 1993, performances continued. Dorothy collaborated with associate Marc Billard. They accepted a commission from psychologist, Dr. Kathryn Mickle, to create Unlimiting Yourself, producing both the music and visuals. In 1996, Tanner and Billard developed programming for cable television. A series of videotapes on behavior modification and creative writing was developed for schools.

From 1996 to 2000, the Tanner/Billard collaboration created Cosmic Rap — Dorothy's positive message poetry set to music and visuals; and two world music CDs, Spices of the World. There was a series of new events at Lumonics that included dance troupes, drummers, musicians, poets, and holistic workshops.

With the opening of the Nite-Light Gallery in 2000 (an extension of the Lumonics Theatre), a new generation of electronic music enthusiasts responded with overwhelming appreciation.

In 2001, Lumonics was awarded "Best Art Experience" by New Times Broward Palm Beach.

In 2002, Lumonics was awarded "Best Dance Club" by New Times Broward Palm Beach.

In 2004, Lumonics was awarded "Best Art Gallery" by New Times Broward Palm Beach.

In 2005, "The Art of Healing" Exhibition at the Coral Springs Museum of Art featured Tanner art and the video art of Tanner/Billard.

The art of Dorothy and Mel Tanner was exhibited at Edge Zones Art Center during Art Basel Miami Beach Week in December, 2007. The exhibit was extended to March, 2008.