The Marfa Sessions - Emily Jacir, Nina Katchadourian, Christina Kubisch, Louise Lawler, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Kaffe Matthews, neuroTransmitter, Dario Robleto, Steve Roden & Stephen Vitiello, Steve Rowell & Simparch, Deborah Stratman & Steven Badgett, Julianne Swartz :: September 27, 2008 - February 1, 2009 :: Ballroom Marfa, 108 E. San Antonio St., Marfa, TX :: Curated by Regine Basha, Rebecca Gates, and Lucy Raven :: With special performances and programs throughout the opening weekend, including a collaborative performance by Steve Roden & Stephen Vitiello and a discussion with authors David Toop and Josh Kun.

The Marfa Sessions is a series of sound projects embedded within the public spaces and private corners of Marfa to create a sonic portrait of this unusual West Texas town. Ballroom Marfa, the exhibition’s headquarters, will feature a visitors center sound hub, hosting artworks and providing information and maps that point to the sound projects throughout the town. The eleven works in the exhibition include already extant pieces adapted for installation in public spaces throughout Marfa, and five new site-specific works specially commissioned by Ballroom Marfa and created by: KAFFE MATTHEWS; NINA KATCHADOURIAN; CHRISTINA KUBISCH; DEBORAH STRATMAN & STEVEN BADGETT; STEVE RODEN & STEPHEN VITIELLO; and STEVE ROWELL WITH SIMPARCH. In some cases artworks will occupy frequented public venues such as Marfa Book Company, the local grocery store and Marfa Public Radio airwaves; others will be discovered in natural settings near the outskirts of town.

Marfa, as a desert town, is a remote place by any standard. It is also a uniquely central destination and an historical confluence of various phenomena that include one of the world’s largest astronomical observatories – The McDonald Observatory, Big Bend National Park, The Marfa Lights, a U.S. border patrol station, The Chinati Foundation (also formerly a WWII military base), the Judd Foundation, as well as the filming locations for Giant, There Will Be Blood, and No Country for Old Men.

With site-specific works activating various locations across the town, and with the collaboration of the community, The Marfa Sessions aims to amplify the varied set of physical and metaphoric characteristics that define “Marfa” – its geopolitical position, local identity, myths, as well as its significant relationship to 20th Century Minimalism and Land Art. The Marfa Sessions seeks to call the ear to Marfa and its environs, noting the aural and conceptual depth and breadth of this complex setting.

The Marfa Sessions has been made possible through the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Brown Foundation, Cowles Charitable Trust, Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Art, Marfa Chamber of Commerce, National Endowment of the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Cynthia Toles, Suzanne Deal Booth, Meredith Dreiss & Anna Bryan and Ballroom Marfa Members with in-kind donations from Tito’s Vodka.

Ballroom Marfa is a dynamic, contemporary cultural arts space that provides a lively intellectual environment where varied perspectives and issues are explored through visual arts, film, music and performance. As an advocate for the freedom of artistic expression, Ballroom Marfa’s mission is to serve international, national, regional and local communities and support the work of both emerging and recognized artists working in all media. Ballroom Marfa is particularly interested in helping artists and curators achieve projects that have significant cultural impact but would be impossible to realize in a traditional gallery or museum setting. Ballroom Marfa is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.