Post-minimalist artist James Turrell—pioneer of installations that create strange and immersive experiences with light and space—is building a new piece at a Quaker children's school in Manhattan. One of his Skyspaces—"a specifically proportioned chamber with an aperture in the ceiling open to the sky," according to the artist—will be completed at Friends Seminary early next year to create what he describes as a "meetinghouse in the sky." There will also be a schedule for the public to visit for free. From Artnet:
The artist, who was deeply moved by Quakerism as a child, visited the school (which teaches students from kindergarten through 12th grade) back in 2007 to deliver the annual Peace Week Lecture. The school's principal, Robert Lauder, proposed a collaboration in 2014. The project was approved by the Department of Buildings and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the price tag for construction and maintaining the Skyspace—around $4.5 million—was funded by parents and other community donors. Turrell also donated one of his hologram artworks to the school, with the proceeds from its sale going directly to fund the project.
