How to Enjoy Marfa Texas
For years, the West Texas town of Marfa was known only as the location where James Dean's last movie was filmed and where peculiar lights appear in the countryside after dark. Artist Donald Judd discovered the town in the 1970s, and since his death in 1994 it has become something of an artist's colony. And while Marfa does not yet rival Taos or Santa Fe, New Mexico as a southwestern arts destination, it's developing in interesting ways.
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Instructions
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Start at Ground Zero of the New Marfa at the Chinati Foundation at 1 Cavalry Road. The brainchild of minimalist artist Donald Judd, this contemporary art complex occupies the buildings of the former Fort Davis. The permanent collection includes works by Carl Andre, Ingólfur Arnarsson, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Roni Horn, Donald Judd, Ilya Kabakov, Richard Long, Claes Oldenburg, David Rabinowitch, Coosje van Bruggen and John Wesley, though temporary exhibitions are held here as well. Guided tours are offered from Thursday to Sunday. The tour of Section 1 begins at 10am, while the Section 2 tour begins at 2 p.m. Admission is charged. Check the Chinati Foundation website in the Tips section for details.
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Contact the Judd Foundation to arrange tours of other properties that belonged to the artist and which contain some of his works. These spaces include the Architecture Studio at 101 North Highland Avenue, the Cobb House and the Whyte Building at 104 West Oak Street, the Architecture Office at 102 North Highland Avenue, the La Mansana de Chinati/The Block at 400 and 416 West El Paso Avenue, the Print Building at 104 and 108 South Highland Avenue and the Art Studio at 124 West Oak Street. Consult the Judd Foundation website in the Tips section for more information.
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Examine the mysterious Marfa Lights, an anomaly for which there's never been a conclusive scientific explanation. The lights appear on the horizon most every night, moving around in peculiar ways. The best place to view the lights is nine or ten miles east of town on US Highway 90. Look for the small parking lot and historical marker.
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Enjoy Marfa the growing film mecca at the Marfa Film Festival. The first festival was held in the spring of 2008, with the highlight being a screening of Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" on the "Little Boston" film set. Check the Marfa Film Festival website in the Tips section for more information.
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Check in to the El Paisano Hotel (also known as the Hotel Paisano) at 207 North Highland Avenue. This Spanish Revival structure was home to Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean during the shooting of "Giant." The hotel even features a screening room where the movie is shown in a continuous loop.
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Fly over those wide open spaces in a glider. You can get lessons and rides at the Marfa Municipal Airport on Texas Highway 17. Check the Tips section for a website on gliding in Marfa.
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