Contrary to popular belief and personal history, going on vacation to the desert in the middle of August turned out to be a wonderful idea. The story of Marfa’s transformation from a small Texas town to a shining beacon of contemporary art is too tantalizing to pass up if the opportunity arises to visit.
On Our Way
Driving through Texas was an eye opener for someone who had never been further west than San Antonio where the topography begins to fluctuate. We stopped at Junction, TX to rest, maybe find a nice cowboy hat, and to visit a dam holding back the most serene body of water that caught my eye as we crossed the bridge into town. We pulled over to see people sunbathing along the concrete walls of the dam that was constructed on the Llano River in the 60s.
The Chinati Foundation
Our first order of business once settling in Marfa was a tour of the Chinati Foundation, Donald Judd’s museum located within a decommissioned army base. Two massive concrete artillery sheds had their walls punched open and filled with glass to show Judd’s almost manic yet spectacular display of milled aluminum works; U-shaped barracks showed fluorescent artworks by Dan Flavin; a white-boxed horse stable showed paintings by John Wesley; and so much more. It was like stepping into a movie set; not quite like McGuire Ranch south of Marfa where There Will Be Blood was filmed, but enough of a stylistic jolt to pique anyone’s interest as to what was going on here. Most of the works shown are permanent installations, either fitted to the spaces they’re in specifically, or vice versa. The art goes beyond the walls of the buildings splayed across this old base, with Judd’s own massive works of concrete placed into the earth.
Donald Judd left New York City as an established artist who felt the art scene was becoming too dense, fleeting, and exhausting; so, he set out to a small town in West Texas with the idea to curate the antithesis of what he experienced. The Chinati Foundation perfectly highlights the monumental union of art, architecture, and the landscape it sits upon as a permanent fixture of the Earth, existing in its own sacred space, respected for its own sake.
MacDonald Observatory
That night we drove up to Macdonald Observatory for a night of stargazing on a viewing platform in complete darkness with only the stars illuminating the topography. MacDonald Observatory has implemented the Dark Skies Initiative, ordinances in the countries around the observatory to keep the skies free of light pollution and full of stars to view. A member from the observatory pointed out constellations and the stories that gave them their names while we witnessed shooting stars graze across the sky splattered with the arms of the Milky Way.
HWY 170 Road Trip
We drove down to Presidio, TX as a starting point to explore the Texas/Mexico border. We visited Fort Leaton, a former residence and trading post for travelers going back and forth from San Antonio and Chihuahua. Since it became a historical site, people can view life in the 1800’s as it pertained to traveling and trading with varying walks of life.
From there stopped at places along the Rio Grande that caught our attention in any way. It was difficult not to stop every at every curve of HWY 170 as it provided a new perspective of the incredible landscape. As we reached greater altitudes, the hot air still felt refreshing and crisp in my lungs as the canyon carved out by the Rio Grande amplified the sounds of the slow-moving river. We visited Terlingua, a noted miner’s ghost town, but not ghosted enough to find extra large popsicles to combat the desert heat as we made our way back to Marfa.
Big Bend National Park
Our last day ended in Big Bend National Park. We were constantly in awe of the winding roads among the mountains, the mustangs grazing along the low-lying plains, and most importantly, the monumental cracking and splitting of the earth’s surface as we came upon the Santa Elena Canyon. We were severely unprepared to go on our hike along the face of the canyon, but it was still worth it. At the turnaround point we got to swim in the Rio Grande where I got stuck in the mud numerous times up to my knees, which for a while felt great in combating the relentless rays of the sun as we made our way back.
