Mel Tanner (September 26, 1925 - October 21, 1993) was an American light sculptor, painter, installation artist, and videographer.

[2] 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.

He first attended Pratt Institute and then the Brooklyn Museum Art School, studying painting with instructors including Max Beckmann, John Ferren, and Reuben Tam.

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.

[5] Participants included artists Louise Nevelson, Red Grooms, Norman Carton (moderator), 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 1969, they converted the studio into a theater, and acquired the technology (a color organ) that made it possible to synchronize the light sculptures with music.

Blow-up furniture, water beds, mylar (a reflective material) on the walls, and the light sculptures created a powerful setting.

The three main elements of lumia, defined by light art pioneer, Thomas Wilfred (1889–1968), are "form, color, and motion in a dark space."

[12] The Tanners and a team of helpers presented Lumonics in Miami (1969-1979),[13][14][15][16][17][18][19] San Diego, California (1980-81),[20] Bangor, Maine (1981-82),[21][22][23] and Fort Lauderdale, FL (1988-2009).

After Mel Tanner died in October, 1993, Dorothy collaborated with long-time team member Marc Billard on her light sculptures, video, and music to further the Lumonics expression.

[52] The Museum of Outdoor Arts presented Lumonics Then & Now: A Retrospective of Light-Based Sculpture by Dorothy & Mel Tanner [53][54][55][56] from January 13 to March 24 2017, and published a book about the exhibit [57] and produced a documentary.

Mr. Siler wrote that the Tanners and their art form brought to mind other "innovative artists exploring new media and aesthetic experiences" including James Turrell, Otto Peine(sic), and Gyorgy Kepes.

[72] One of Mel Tanner's light sculptures, Multi-Directional, was selected by the Museum of Outdoor Arts for placement at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre in Greenwood Village Colorado in August 2021.