The Chinati Foundation — Attraction in Marfa

This was an unexpected experience, to say the least. We bought tickets online for an open viewing at 11:15 AM, which includes the outdoor sculptures and access to the main 2 Donald Judd buildings (100 works). It was fine, didn’t think much of it without proper context.

I asked about the Dan Flavin works, and we found out we needed to book a 2-hour guided tour to view them. We book the tickets for a few more bucks, grab lunch, then come back at 2 PM for the official tour. It was SO worth it. Side note: no photos (iphone or professional) are allowed inside of the private galleries.

We ended up being the only two on the tour, so essentially got a private showing of the entire Chinati Foundation. Our tour guide, Dylan, was extremely attentive and knowledgeable. He re-walked us through Judd’s work, this time with context, and took us through the Dan Flavin buildings. We learned about the grounds’ history and ties to the military. The Flavin works played with our eyesight and perception of color, which was fun to experience.

After the Dan Flavin buildings, we drove to the next location down the street for Robert Irwin’s exhibit, which was beautiful. The final destination was downtown, at the John Chamberlain exhibit, which was a bit wackier and unique compared to the prior works we saw.

Overall a great excursion for art, geography, history lovers alike. Kudos to Dylan for an amazing tour full of historical context and...

We walked into what looked like a gift shop and weren't acknowledged, so that felt great. We didn't know what was going on and were immediately uncomfortable, so we started walking into the courtyard and only then did a lady come out of the woodwork to flag us down with an "excuse me" in a tone of, "you need to pay to be here you complete idiots." This whole initial interaction was needlessly awkward. So $30 dollars later, we get a confusing map of the grounds and are told that there are 2 exhibits open at that time, awesome! BTW, this place is, like, 350 acres. We wander around what seems like an abandoned campus with some overpass construction in the distance and at this point we are so amused by the absurdity of the experience, we are having an absolute blast. We go into one of the TWO galleries open and there are like, 5 employees in this small room loudly debating about where to put a chair for the next exhibit, acting like we are invisible. One of them was taking notes about a chair. Maybe it was all performance art? We kept the sticker to remind us of the place and laugh every time we see it. 5-stars for the weirdest thing we...

Marfa, like no other place! Except for trains which arrive through the center of town, but do not stop, with fury and horn deployment, this place is magical solitude. First time we visited with friends a couple years ago I returned home ultimately relaxed and peaceful. Like any art collection you either buy into it or not what the Chinatti Foundation has to offer; my purchase at the time was complete and total. Wandering amongst those numerous artful stainless-steel monoliths displayed on concrete floors of old brick, steel and glass army barracks building, my core was satisfied. So pristeen, clean and thoughtfully arranged; how could your, my, psyche not react? This recent trip did not deliver the same response, the venue was closed; we did not know the hours of operation, thus missed what I had come for. Just make certain YOU know when the venue is open. Other than this, the town of Marfa has some great restaurants along with very good and interesting local eateries. Just bring your desire to fit in and let the town embrace you,...