Marfa minimalism

Marfa, Texas is the most twilighty place I have ever visited. In way west Texas, it is near Big Bend. It's hippie to say the least. Marfans have a strong appreciation for culture and art. The whole town (that is about 2 blocks long) revolves around this appreciation. Galleries and museums are abound. Now how did this happen in a town the size of a dime in the middle of tumbleweed Texas? Donald Judd, a minimalist artist from New York City, decided to take his ideas to Marfa back in the early 1970's. Once he decided to stay he bought two airplane hangars which he intended to use for his installations.

That's what you're looking at, his two hangars, at what is now called the Chinati Foundation. Inside and outside of these hangars are installations. They are all very very minimal, which is often difficult for me to appreciate. Inside were steel boxes that were created by perfectly connected flush planes of steel. And outside were rectangular concrete forms also very well crafted and connected. When we went I didn't get it and was unimpressed. But, now, now that I've crafted my own art (the veneered tao panel) I understand how difficult it is to get perfectly flush connections. So sometimes I guess minimalism is about more than what you see, it's about how what you see came to be.

Keep on keepin' on, Marfa.