Spring is in the air. And there’s no better place to experience it than in “Joseph’s Coat: A Skyspace” by James Turrell at The Ringling Museum of Art, an open-air atrium constructed within the Marie Selby Botanical Courtyard located in the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing.
This minimalist yet powerful experience provides a unique gathering place for contemplation by day and wondrous views as the evening sky tiptoes towards sunset.
Museum guests will enjoy an immersive experience on Friday, March 20—the first full day of spring. The day marks the astronomical start of spring, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in nearly equal day and night lengths. It symbolizes renewal, rebirth, balance and the triumph of light over darkness.
American artist James Turrell (b. 1943) created his first Skyspace in 1974, and today over 80 exist in public and private collections worldwide. The Ringling’s 3,000-square-foot “Joseph’s Coat” is one of the largest Skyspaces in the world, and the only such installation in Florida.
“James Turrell’s Skyspace was one of the reasons I wanted to come to The Ringling. I had the privilege to be here during its construction and Turrell’s ‘tuning’ of the lights before its commission,” said The Ringling’s Executive Director Steven High. “The space is meaningful to me because early in my curatorial work, I was intrigued by minimalist works. Turrell was one of the few artists working with light in the late 1960s and 1970s, and his exploration of light since, as in ‘Joseph’s Coat,’ resonates with our visitors as a must-see experience.”
“Joseph’s Coat,” named after a certain technicolor jacket from a biblical story, boasts a 24-square-foot opening in the 35-foot-high canopy over courtyard lights which slide from reds to blues, purples to whites and radically change our perception of the sky and space around us. The display offered on select sunsets is a manipulation of our perception of the sky using a computer LED light-driven system that transforms the underside of the canopy through a full range of color spectrum. Through colored illumination effects, Turrell changes the context of the sky by coloring the white frame of the oculus. This creates skies that appear saturated in intense colors. The Skyspace is a calm, almost silent place to rest during a visit to the Museum of Art. Through the opening, viewers can observe clouds that pass, airplanes and birds, creating a tension between stillness and movement.
“Joseph’s Coat” was unveiled to the Sarasota communities during the winter solstice celebration in 2011. The work on this monumental project began in 2001, and the piece took almost a decade to complete. Recently, the lighting system was updated with guidance from the artist’s studio. “Joseph’s Coat” is often labeled as a triumph of technology, engineering and aesthetics.
Tickets are available to experience Joseph’s Coat during the Spring Equinox (Friday, March 20) and other dates: ringling.org/event/josephs-coat-skyspace-by-james-turrell
