James Turrell's First Manhattan Skyspace Opens at Quaker School

James Turrell has installed his first Skyspace in Manhattan, titled 'Leading', at Friends Seminary, a Quaker school in the East Village. The permanent installation, costing nearly $4 million, was completed in autumn 2023 and opened to the public in March 2024. It is the artist's first Skyspace in an active school. The room features a ceiling aperture that reveals the sky, with changing colored lights altering spatial perception. The project was conceived in 2014 and realized in 2022. Part of the funding came from the auction of a hologram donated by Turrell, sold at Christie's for $187,500. The Skyspace is open to the public on Fridays from 5 PM, with 22 visitors at a time for 15 minutes; at sunset, the roof opens for 40 minutes. Teachers use the space for creativity and meditation lessons, and the school shares it with other institutions. Turrell, a key figure in the Light and Space movement, began his Skyspace series in 1974. His other New York Skyspace at MoMA PS1, dating from 1986, remains the museum's most visited attraction.