Coloradoans and Pikes Peak residents in particular are in for a special artistic treat: the unveiling of the James Turrell Skyspace on Saturday, June 18.
“Green Mountain Falls provides visitors with the opportunity to slow down and experience something truly unexpected and unlike anything else,” said Christian Keesee, co-founder of Green Box, the organization that sponsors an annual multi-weekly arts festival in the mountain town.
“The Skyspace will add to the already inspirational setting and community that brings together art and nature, family and friends, earth and sky.”
Turrell, a nationally acclaimed artist who is best known for his environmental works of art that focus on light, color and human perception, began building his skyspaces — enclosed observatory-like structures that open to the sky through an eight-foot aperture in the roof — in the 1970s.
Currently there are 85 skyspaces in the world, ranging in location from Japan and Greece to Norway and Australia.
The installation at Green Mountain Falls, commissioned by the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation, is the first skyspace in Colorado and, at an elevation of 7,800 feet, the first built into the side of a mountain.
It is also one of the few that feature a retractable roof.
Turrell’s skyspaces typically can accommodate about 15 people who sit on benches and view the sky through the roof opening, especially during morning and evening hours. Participants’ reviews liken the experience to the blending of sky, light, space and time into a meditative state.
The 2022 Green Box Arts Festival will officially debut the skyspace at a ceremony set for 1 p.m. June 18 that features Ashley Cornelius, who was selected Pikes Peak Poet Laureate by the Pikes Peak Library District.
“We look forward to visitors from near and far rediscovering the importance of a tranquil, unplugged existence,” said Larry Keigwin, also a Green Box co-founder. “After a spirited hike to the skyspace, visitors will leave this extraordinary work and Green Mountain Falls refreshed, re-energized and curious for more.”
A new trailhead located in the center of Green Mountain Falls marks the beginning of a path that takes hikers directly to the 18-foot high skyspace, located on nearby Red Butte. Construction began last spring and continued through the fall, utilizing 1.2 million pounds of concrete and about 100,000 pounds of steel, festival organizers said.
The Green Box Festival, which runs from June 18 through July 4, will feature a variety of artists, including sculptors and musicians along with dancers and writers.