Turrell's Skyspace Reopens at UW With New Light

Light Reign opened in July 2003 on the Henry's upper level, a room with one opening to the sky and walls tuned to hold color. In the 23 years since, it has hosted meditation sessions, a Quaker silent meeting, performance art, and thousands of individual visits. It's the rare museum room people come back to just to sit. A conservation project rebuilt the light within, so the same chamber returns with a new lighting system. Sit down and the ceiling drifts from pale blue toward warmer tones as daylight shifts above. The view overhead changes while nothing in the room does. The museum also offers a 10-minute guided meditation for the room on its audio guide.

Saturday keeps a loose timetable. The celebration opens at 3:30 PM, Henry director Kris Lewis speaks at 3:45 PM, and the exterior illumination switches on at 4 PM. A live DJ plays through the afternoon and a Skyspace Spritz is on offer. The outside light comes on while the sky is still changing color, and the timing lands well. Seattle sunset that day is 4:33 PM, so the sky is at its best from 4 to 4:45 PM. The celebration runs through 6 PM.

Entry is free, donations are welcome, and the museum asks guests to RSVP on its Eventbrite page. Interior viewing runs 25 people at a time in roughly 10-minute stretches, so the queue can be the slow part. If the wait looks long, watch the facade light from the plaza and rejoin once it shortens. Coming back another day is easier still. From Nov 14 the Skyspace stays on view in museum hours, Thursday 10 AM to 7 PM, Friday to Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM, closed Monday through Wednesday, and last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The 1 Line stops at U District Station, an 8-minute walk.