This town has one bank, one pizza place, one coffee shop, one laundry, one radio station, one bookshop — basically one of everything, except for the things of which it has none: billboards, pet stores, chain stores, clothing stores, bowling alleys or traffic lights.
Which makes it an unlikely tourist destination.
But travelers come to this wide, still corner of West Texas for its art — three museums and nine galleries perched beneath wide blue skies.
Wallace Shawn came down for the opening of one of his plays, and some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest names — Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Sonic Youth — have played here.
“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” were filmed here, which made actor Daniel Day Lewis (of the latter film) a regular jogger up and down the main drag, Highland Avenue, for a while.
“You can be having coffee and sitting next to your favorite artist,” said James Scott, 26, a waiter and Marfa native who hopes to start a local theater company. “I don’t know of anyplace close to this.”
Marfa’s strange status can be traced to one simple development: Donald Judd, one of the fathers of minimalism, moved here from New York in 1973. For years, tourists came to see Judd’s work, and artists came to commune with the same wide-open spaces as did their hero.
In the mid-1990s, out-of-town investors started buying land and restoring downtown property. A bookstore was the first major business. A few restaurants and hotels, a National Public Radio affiliate and the galleries followed.
It’s still largely a ranching town, but within that town exists this strange art burg that persists against the odds.
“This place changed my life the first time I came here,” said Amanda Mayo, 22, a recent college graduate who works at the Chinati Foundation, the museum Judd started.
“It’s just the expanse of this place and how majestic it is to be out here.”
– – –
This town has one bank, one pizza place, one coffee shop, one laundry, one radio station, one bookshop — basically one of everything, except for the things of which it has none: billboards, pet stores, chain stores, clothing stores, bowling alleys or traffic lights.
Which makes it an unlikely tourist destination.
But travelers come to this wide, still corner of West Texas for its art — three museums and nine galleries perched beneath wide blue skies.
Wallace Shawn came down for the opening of one of his plays, and some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest names — Yo La Tengo, Wilco, Sonic Youth — have played here.
“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” were filmed here, which made actor Daniel Day Lewis (of the latter film) a regular jogger up and down the main drag, Highland Avenue, for a while.
“You can be having coffee and sitting next to your favorite artist,” said James Scott, 26, a waiter and Marfa native who hopes to start a local theater company. “I don’t know of anyplace close to this.”
Marfa’s strange status can be traced to one simple development: Donald Judd, one of the fathers of minimalism, moved here from New York in 1973. For years, tourists came to see Judd’s work, and artists came to commune with the same wide-open spaces as did their hero.
In the mid-1990s, out-of-town investors started buying land and restoring downtown property. A bookstore was the first major business. A few restaurants and hotels, a National Public Radio affiliate and the galleries followed.
It’s still largely a ranching town, but within that town exists this strange art burg that persists against the odds.
“This place changed my life the first time I came here,” said Amanda Mayo, 22, a recent college graduate who works at the Chinati Foundation, the museum Judd started.
“It’s just the expanse of this place and how majestic it is to be out here.”
– – –
Marfa, Texas
EATING
Locals say Cochineal (107 W. San Antonio St.; 432-729-3300) is as good as any restaurant in Texas, and it may be true. After success with Etats-Unis on New York’s Upper East Side, its owners sold and moved to Marfa to open this contemporary outpost of cleverly prepared meat and fish. If you have one meal in Marfa, this should be it. … Roundly considered the second-best restaurant in town, Maiya’s (103 N. Highland Ave.; 432-729-4410), offers fresh, zesty Italian food. A bit pricey (a $26 slice of lasagna?) but worth a visit. … You can taste the East Coast pedigree — which is a good thing — at Pizza Foundation (100 E. San Antonio St.; 432-729-3377), a restaurant started by a Rhode Island couple in a former gas station. … Everyone’s favorite underdog is Food Shark (Highland Avenue between the Marfa Book Company and the train tracks; 432-386-6540), which serves fresh, delicious meals from a lunch truck. … A warning: Jett’s (207 N. Highland Ave.; 432-729-3838), the restaurant in Hotel Paisano, is often mentioned in the same breath as everything above but is vastly inferior. But go for a drink, and you’ll meet plenty of locals.
WHERE TO STAY
There are two biggies in town. One is Hotel Paisano (207 N. Highland St.; 866-729-3669; hotelpaisano.com), where the cast of “Giant” stayed. It is clean, handsome and affordable, with rates as low as $99 plus tax. … The Thunderbird Hotel (601 W. San Antonio St.; 432-729-1984; thunderbirdmarfa.com) was renovated a few years ago into the hippest of destinations. It is spare, minimalist and full of clever amenities: a manual typewriter, a DVD library ranging from “My Dinner with Andre” to “Annie Hall” and a Stack-O-Matic record player (with records) for rent. … The owners of inde/jacobs gallery also run Marfa Vacation Rentals (marfaretreat.com; 432-386-7120), a collection of charming adobe apartments. They’re clean and affordable (starting at $79 per night), and the varying sizes make them a great bet for families, couples or singles.
WHAT TO DO
It’s all about the art. Most renowned is the Chinati Foundation (1 Cavalry Row; 432-729-4362; chinati.org), a contemporary art museum started by Donald Judd just outside downtown in the late 1970s. The 100 aluminum boxes he planted there make for one of the coolest works you will ever see. Take your time looking at them from different angles and seeing how the desert light moves through them. Chinati also houses works from several contemporaries whom Judd invited to add to the collection. … Tours of Judd’s home and studio, really a museum unto itself, are available through the Judd Foundation (104 South Highland Ave.; 432-729-4406; juddfoundation.org), and very much worth a visit. … Ballroom Marfa (108 E. San Antonio St.; 432-729-3600; ballroommarfa.org) is the third contemporary-art museum in town. It has no permanent works but commissions projects and is teeming with creative energy. … About 40 miles west of town, just past tiny Valentine, is Prada Marfa, an installation commissioned by Ballroom Marfa. It’s a brilliant and hilarious commentary on consumerism (at least that’s what I took from it): a Prada storefront in the middle of the desert with high-heeled shoes and purses from the 2005 collection on display. The rub: It looks as if it’s all there for shopping, but you can’t get inside. … It’s also worth browsing the other art galleries in town, where if you want to spend a few thousand dollars, you’re in luck. Ask whatever dumb questions you like. I did. The gallery owners were all wonderful, patient and love their (adopted) hometown. … The Marfa Film Festival (marfafilmfestival.org) will be held from April 29 to May 3 and was lauded by an LA Weekly blogger as “the best little festival I’ve ever attended.” … There’s a viewing station for The Marfa Lights east of town (see sidebar). … Big Bend National Park is about 80 miles south and one of the two or three most amazing national parks I’ve seen. Go, go, go.
A warning: Most everything is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Do your research before showing up.
— Josh Noel
———-
jbnoel@tribune.com
See related stories, Travel section, Page 4
