What's the Deal With Marfa?

Some things defy definition. Zuzu and Mrs. Eaves can agree on one thing after their recent visit to Marfa, Texas—it’s a tough place to define. 

At 440 miles west of Austin, Marfa is smack in the middle of nowhere, even by West Texas standards. For their visit, the temperatures ranged from a high of 95 in the day down to 32 at night. On the plateau of the Chihuahuan Desert, Marfa boasts a population of slightly more than 2000 which appears to be a combination of a few original ranchers and the rest migratory artisans who split their time between Marfa and parts north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The only thing spotted more frequently than rattlesnakes in Marfa are celebrities. Bands like the Dandy Warhols, Sonic Youth, Lyle Lovett and David Byrne make regular stops. Julia Roberts, Tommy Lee Jones and plenty of others are lured there as if the Greek sirens had resurfaced as prickly pear cacti. One local bookstore owner claims that in Marfa "you sit and the world comes to you." But the whole thing made Mrs. Eaves scratch her head and wonder "what's everybody smoking?"

But there it is in the middle of all that parched earth, a regular beehive of contemporary artistic activity, a little SoHo of the Tumbleweeds. Maybe the renowned Marfa Lights aren’t alien activity after all but rather a strong magnetic field that mysteriously sucks artsy types from Manhattan, Los Angeles and beyond to establish roots here. Art galleries like Galleri Urbane, Ballroom Marfa and Inde/Jacobs Gallery fill every old building that can tolerate a coat of white paint. Marfa has many cinematic ties, including serving as the locale for “Giant,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “There Will Be Blood” so it is no big surprise that the Marfa Film Festival has become quite the social scene. Artisans like Lorna Leedy of Fancy Pony Land  keep studios in Marfa as home base for their one-of-a-kind wares. Creatives like Austinite Liz Lambert have refurbished quirky old hotels including the Thunderbird, the Capri and Zuzu's preferred abode in a restored airstream at El Cosmico.
 

So who was the instigator and ring leader of this Marfa cult? No argument on this one. Hands down everyone points to renowned minimalist artist Donald Judd. After spending several years summering in Marfa (which in Zuzu’s book sounds pretty sweaty), in 1979 Judd purchased 340 acres of land formerly used as an army base (Fort Russell) including a stint as a German POW camp during WWII.  Judd wanted a place to integrate his large scale installations with the landscape and create a new type of “anti-museum.” Judd liked the juxtoposition of the rural land with the military architectural structures.  Judd’s own installation of 100 aluminum boxes (each 41"x51"x72") is housed in two former artillery sheds now lined with soaring glass windows. Zuzu was smitten with this installation which is like walking through an optical illusion.  The metal boxes reflect their surroundings, at times appearing to be made of the painfully perfect blue sky that almost suffocates you on a hot day.

Judd companion installation featuring 15 concrete box dots the surrounding fields. The starkness of the landscape seamlessly envelopes Judd’s boxes. 

 

In addition to Judd's work, the Chianti complex includes permanent exhibits featuring works of Carl Andre, Ingolfur Arnarsson, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Roni Horn, Ilya Kabakov, Richard Long, Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen, John Wesley and David Rabinowitch. Of note are six U-shaped barracks which house Flavin’s light installation “Untitled (Marfa Project).” 

While appreciative of the other pieces, Mrs. Eaves preferred the Oldenburg/van Bruggen sculpture "Monument to the Last Horse" dedicated to "Louie," the last horse of First U.S. Cavalry which was disbanded in 1932. The sculpture is inscribed "Animo et Fide"— "Spirited and Faithful"— and so perfectly captures the spirit of the West, where everything is bigger than reality.

In his later years Judd continued buying up Marfa ultimately owning nine city buildings, 34,000 acres and three houses in the area. After Judd’s death in 1994, the Chinati Foundation was created to oversee his work and the space. The museum is open by guided tour only, Wednesday through Sunday.

At the end of the trip, the magic of Marfa is still difficult to describe. Some say the allure to Marfa is its ability to break down boundaries. Perhaps. Or maybe there really is something going on with those Marfa Lights. 

There was much debate amongst Zuzu and Mrs. Eaves as to whether or not they actually witnessed the Marfa Lights. Zuzu swears she saw them. Mrs. Eaves swears it was only the Marfa Head-Lights. Great minds reserve the right to differ.