| Dorothy Tanner |
 |
| Born |
January 30, 1923
The Bronx, New York |
| Nationality |
American |
| Occupation |
Light Artist/Installation Artist |
| Known for |
Lumonics Installations |
| Signature |
Signature of Dorothy Tanner
|
| Mel Tanner |
 |
| Born |
September 26, 1925
Brooklyn, New York |
| Died |
October 21, 1993
Coral Springs, Florida |
| Nationality |
American |
| Occupation |
Light Artist/Installation Artist |
| Known for |
Lumonics Installations |
| Signature |
|
|
Dorothy Tanner (born January 30, 1923) is an American light sculptor, installation artist, musician, videographer, and spoken word artist based in Denver, Colorado. Her husband Mel Tanner (September 26, 1925 – October 21, 1993) was an American light sculptor, painter, installation artist, and videographer. The couple worked very closely for over 40 years. Their main project was the creation of Lumonics [1] that consists of their light sculptures, live projection, video, electronics and music as a total art installation. Author and art historian, Michael Betancourt described this conceptual art as a Gesamtkunstwerk in his book, The Lumonics Theater: The Art of Mel & Dorothy Tanner, published in 2005.[2]
Education
Dorothy Tanner studied woodcarving with Chaim Gross at the Educational Alliance, sculpture with Aaron Goodleman at the Jefferson School of Social Science, life drawing with Gabor Peterdi and sculpture with Milton Hebald at the Brooklyn Museum School of Art. She met Mel Tanner while they were both students at the Brooklyn Museum School, and married in 1951.
Mel Tanner was a World War II veteran and attended art school under the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the G.I. Bill. He attended Pratt Institute, the Art Students League of New York, and studied painting at the Brooklyn Museum School with Max Beckmann, John Ferren, and Reuben Tam.
Career in art (1951-1969)
The Tanners moved to Syracuse, New York in 1951 and founded the Syracuse Art Workshop where Dorothy taught sculpture and Mel taught painting.[3] They taught art to children in a summer program at Syracuse University. The residence in Syracuse had a carriage house in the rear where Dorothy set up her studio, working with materials including wood, clay, plaster, and polyester, and the high ceilings enabled her to build large metal sculptures. She exhibited her new metal sculptures in a solo show at the Key Gallery in New York City in 1962, and Mel Tanner exhibited his new paintings which combined calligraphy and geometric shapes at Key that same year. Their exhibitions stimulated them to return to Manhattan. Decades later, Ms.Tanner reflected on her view of the New York art of the early 1960s:
“The art scene in New York was in turmoil. Abstract expressionism was in the late days of its heyday. Op and pop art were coming up strong, and minimalism was just around the corner.”[4]
In 1963, the Tanners returned to New York City, where they founded Granite Gallery, an artist cooperative. They formed the Granite Art Association, which organized seminars, forums, and exhibitions, including The New Face in Art Forum and Exhibition in 1964 which took place at the Loeb Student Center at New York University.[5] Participants included artists Louise Nevelson, Red Grooms, Norman Carton, and art critic Gordon Brown.[6] The Tanners co-curated The New Face in Art Exhibition and showed their work with artists that included Louis Schanker, Murray Hantman, and Leo Quanchi. In 1965, they closed the Gallery and traveled extensively in Europe.
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