Leading the Way: A Living Classroom in the Skyspace

This year, Leading: The James Turrell Skyspace has become even more deeply woven into daily life at Friends—serving as a sanctuary, a classroom, and a point of connection with the wider world.

Friends’ commitment to sharing the Skyspace beyond our own community also continues to grow. Public ticketed programs regularly sell out, with guests traveling from across the city—and beyond—to experience Turrell’s exploration of light and perception. Schools, colleges, and cultural institutions have incorporated visits into their own curricula and professional programs, treating Leading as both an artwork and a site for reflection on attention, time, and collective experience.

One meaningful example this year was a visit from Friends School of Baltimore. Students and educators from our fellow Quaker school joined us in the Skyspace to sit in worship, exchange perspectives, and explore how shared spaces for silence can shape school culture. The visit underscored how Leading connects Friends Seminary to a broader network of Quaker education and to questions about what it means to gather in community.

On campus, faculty and staff are increasingly integrating the Skyspace into their teaching. Classes in disciplines ranging from visual arts and architecture to English, science, and ethics have used the space as a catalyst for inquiry—inviting students to think about perception, narrative, and the ways environments influence how we feel and learn. Student clubs and groups have also begun to reserve the Skyspace for quiet reflection, community-building, and conversation.

On Friday afternoons, Upper School math teacher and Quaker life coordinator Ben Frisch offers Meeting for Worship in the Skyspace, which is open to the public. These regular gatherings give students, faculty, staff, and visitors another opportunity to experience Quaker worship in an environment shaped by changing light and shared stillness.

What began as a visionary addition to Friends’ campus has evolved into an essential shared resource: a place where worship, learning, and public engagement meet. As more teachers, students, alumni, and visiting communities step into Leading, the Skyspace continues to illuminate how art can deepen our understanding of ourselves, one another, and the world that ought to be.

Visit the dedicated website for Leading here.