Marfa, Texas: The Arts Colony Donald Judd Built, In 'No Place Like Here' (VIDEO)

"Every Wednesday night in Marfa, we have craft night," says Rachel Neel, its co-founder, "and it's like our church." The 2,000 citizens of the remote Southwest Texas town have created their own civilization, with its own routines, customs and celebrities. The short documentary below was posted with a longer description on Etsy, and takes us through the quietly thriving arts colony. The town was brought to notability by sculptor Donald Judd in the 1970s and supported by what Neel believes is the local appreciation for isolation and personal projects. The documentary, by Marfa filmmaker Karen Bernstein, introduces us to some of its characters, including Adam Bork, who lives in a geodesic dome, collects vintage TV sets and composed the soundtrack of the video itself.

No Place Like Here: Marfa, Texas from Etsy on Vimeo.

Comments

[Chucky Sly]

11:35 PM on 05/04/2011

My photographer friend, Allison V. Smith has a love affair with this place. Check out her picures!
www.allisonvsmith.net

[VoteObama2012]

10:47 PM on 05/04/2011

I bet they order a lot of stuff by internet since big stores are so far away.
It's probably cheaper than driving a couple of hours.

[marinatha]

10:21 PM on 05/04/2011

What are marfa lights?

[randallr01]

11:06 PM on 05/04/2011

Wikipedia has a nice explanation.

[fisher65]

10:09 PM on 05/04/2011

they have the marfa lights everynight in the sky there.

[WTxIndependent]

09:39 PM on 05/04/2011

There isn't a whole lot to do in Marfa. Most folks go to visit the Prada store and see the Marfa lights. But there's definitely a different air down there....

[goodog]

09:34 PM on 05/04/2011

It's too close to Mexico to really be considered Texas.

[Carmeliggy]

09:12 PM on 05/04/2011

Finally, something appealing about Texas.

[IsotelusMaximus]

09:11 PM on 05/04/2011

No way a town like this could exist in a blue state.. Freedom and limited government allows for unique places like this.

[WTxIndependent]

09:38 PM on 05/04/2011

It exists because it's in west Texas (the *REAL* west Texas, not Midland/Odessa). It's in Presidio county and like most of west Texas and/or Texas border counties, it's fairly Blue. It was about 70/30 Obama/McCain in 2008.

[IsotelusMaximus]

09:50 PM on 05/04/2011

Oh, I bet this town definitely went for Obama... no question about it... :)

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

09:41 PM on 05/04/2011

Remember the blue states send more tax money to the federal government then red states. I live in Tx for 4 years. I hated it. You can keep the heat and tumble weeds. No thanks. Give me the different seasons. By the way I have lived in many different parts of the country and each has good and bad in every state. Tx doesn't have much to brag about friend.

[mollymac]

11:43 PM on 05/04/2011

well, you can get great property here for decent prices. A house here is bigger than 4 in Calif. for less money!

[McLacy]

08:52 PM on 05/04/2011

This is a beautiful part of Texas and part of the Chihuauan dessert - the Davis Mountains are truly beautiful as well. McDonald Observatory is out this way in the Davis Mountains. Marfa is a small town that has a wonderful art community and is quirky but fun. Presidio and Terlingua lie south toward the Rio Grande and takes you into Big Bend National Park and there's also a more remote area that's a State Park called Big Bend Ranch State Park which is picturesque. You may have heard about the wild fires in Texas - the Marfa, Fort Davis and Alpine areas have suffered greatly with fires that have destroyed many homes - I've had two friends lose their homes to this fire that went on for weeks and destroyed over 200,000 acres of land. If you ever get a chance to come see this area - you will not be sorry - it is rugged but there isn't another place like it - and the stars at night just explode.

[darkhawk98]

10:27 PM on 05/04/2011

I traveled through that piece of country back in 1978 absolutely gorgeous country. Truly wide open spaces very raw, natural and exotic in its starkness.

[DavidF07]

05:26 PM on 05/10/2011

Less than 25 miles up the road, Fort Davis is the highest town in Texas. At 5,050 feet above sea level, it is comparable to Denver (5,280). The Rock House Fire, started near Marfa and spread north through and around Fort Davis, consuming over 300,000 acres is now quelled. It burned part of Davis Mountains State Park. The Davis Mountains are an ecological "island" surrounded by miles and miles of high desert. You find animals and plants in these mountains that are not found in the surrounding areas. And the stars! I have never seen the sky that I see in these mountains. Not another place like it.

[flamflurm]

08:51 PM on 05/04/2011

horrendous.

[Bunyflufy]

08:00 PM on 05/04/2011

OMG - I now need to visit TX! Never thought I'd actually want to visit, but now I do!

[debbiejoy]

07:42 PM on 05/04/2011

It looks so incredibly boring! And the people seem strange! Where's the bar?

[George Braque]

08:54 PM on 05/04/2011

It's a weird place, full of weird people but I like it. I think there are only three bars, and at least one is open seasonally. A lot of characters, and a really beautiful part of the country, but you have to drive something like an hour if you want to go to a big retail store, though there are a couple of restaurants that seem as if they've been transplanted from Brooklyn.

[situationcritical]

06:57 PM on 05/04/2011

Marfa is freakin' scary...and cool. WhenI drove through there last month I had heart palpitations thinking those ufo lights were going to appear and chase me down.

[phoebequeen]

06:37 PM on 05/04/2011

I lived in west Texas for a few years and visited Marfa. They are also famous for weird, unexplained lights.

[edgarcaycedoc]

06:59 PM on 05/04/2011

Perhaps the "famous" weird, unexplained lights are stimulated by the same substance that also brings many of the artisians projects to life??

[iconoclast6]

08:36 PM on 05/04/2011

Reflected headlights.

http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/utd_sps_report.pdf

[yellowdoggie]

05:56 PM on 05/04/2011

Cool!