Keith House, a meeting space for North Texas nonprofits, has begun to host private viewings of the new James Turrell Skyspace as it prepares to open to the public in 2025.
In spring 2023, Keith House announced the development of Mr. Turrell’s Come to Good (formerly The Keith Skyspace), a light-filled permanent installation inspired by traditional Quaker meeting houses. Mr. Turrell, who is a Quaker, has created works for other meeting houses, including One Accord at Live Oak Friends Meeting in Houston. While Houston is home to two Skyspaces and another is in Austin at the University of Texas campus, Mr. Turrell’s 2003 Tending (Blue) installation at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas has been closed since 2012, when the construction of a nearby building disrupted the piece.
Keith House
Construction began on the 3,200-square-foot Keith House in December 2022. The building includes a lobby and a main space filled with pews, which can accommodate up to 120 visitors. In October 2023, when the building was complete and ready for installation, the organization brought Janelle Montgomery on full time as director of the space.
Janelle Montgomery
Previously she had been working in a part-time consulting capacity to help develop the vision for the space. Ms. Montgomery holds an MA in Art History from Texas Christian University and a BA in Politics, Economics, Rhetoric, and Law from the University of Chicago. Previously she served as a curatorial assistant at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Gentling Curatorial Assistant at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
Rendering of the interior of James Turrell’s “Keith House Skyspace.”
The Skyspace features a sunrise and sunset sequence, as well as a shorter option to play when the skylight is closed due to weather or for tour groups with limited time. Ms. Montgomery told Glasstire, “I’ve sat through the sequence probably a dozen times now, and it doesn’t get old. I expected the morning and event sequences to feel different because you’re in such a different space in your body during those times of day. But, what I didn’t expect was how different the experience of the sequence would be day-to-day. It’s partially because the world has changed and life’s a little bit different, but also because I’m in a different place every single time I’m there.”
Ms. Montgomery shared that Keith House recently made a soft launch. As it hosts private groups to engage with the space, the staff is finalizing logistical details to best serve audiences when the Skyspace opens in the Spring. Other team members who have been brought on board include Michael Moore, who served as the Assistant Curator of Education for Docent Training at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for over a decade, and Shea Patterson Young, who serves as the Executive Director of the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association and recently was the University Event Strategist, Protocol Officer, and Campus Curator at the University of North Texas Health Science Center for four years.
Keith House
Currently, the Keith House is seeking volunteers who will help greet visitors, discuss the artwork, and assist with upkeep of the space. Learn more about the volunteer program and complete an application via the organization’s website.
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