Friends Seminary, an independent Quaker School in New York City, is in one way a natural place for an artwork by James Turrell, a Quaker artist. Newly installed there is one of the artist’s trademark “Skyspaces,” apertures in a room’s ceiling that allow a view through to the ever-changing skies above and are often tricked out with subtly changing light shows of their own. 

But this particular placement is newsworthy, because this is the first K-12 school to have a Skyspace, which are more customarily viewed in art museums and high-toned private collections, and of which there some 85 around the globe.

Leading will be open to the public on March 1 and March 8 on a first-come, first-served basis, with free admission, and through the end of the school year, the public can visit on the last Friday of each month. Reservations for the March visitation dates will go live on Sunday, February 25, at 9 a.m. Additional dates through the remainder of the school year will be added later in the month. 

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.

The school’s teachers are looking forward to integrating the artwork into their curriculum.

“I love starting a new book with students aloud together,” said English teacher Josh Goren. “Moving to a place that’s not our classroom—a simpler, paradigm-shifting space—one in which it’s just the student, the book, and nothing else, will bring them more fully into the imaginative space of the novel.” 

The school, where tuition currently runs $60,500, plans to form partnerships with New York schools and arts organizations, forming cross-disciplinary programming. 

“We are honored to continue our relationship with James Turrell and his vision eight years in-the-making,” said Robert “Bo” Lauder, Head of School. “Leading will serve as a landmark on the cultural map of New York, and I am excited to share this remarkable installation with the public and other educational institutions.”

The piece was funded through donations from parents of students and other community donors. Turrell donated a hologram piece, which was sold at Christie’s, to raise funds for the project. Referring to the rooms where Quakers hold their minimalist ceremonies, Turrell, who donated his design and consultation time, has called the piece “a meeting room in the sky.”

See more images of Leading below.

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.

James Turrell, Leading (2024). Courtesy Friends Seminary.