Driving the Rio Grande, Presidio, Texas, December 2015

Following recommendations of the staffer at the Marfa Visitors Center, we made a day trip south from Marfa to Presidio and then down the Rio Grande to Lajitas and north again to Alpine and back to Marfa.

The landscape along the Rio Grande is stunning, to put it mildly. The contrast of the river and the mountains behind is great indeed. 

There was considerable history in the region, with the forces of Pancho Villa operating in the USA in the early 20th century as well as in Chihuahua at Ojinaga. 

Close to Presidio is Fort Leaton, which was a private fort and trading post from the late 1840s. 

Fort Leaton

Fort Leaton

The Rio Grande

The Rio Grande landscape, as enhanced by Google Photos

The resort at Lajitas

The resort at Lajitas

Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas, December 2015

The Chinati Foundation holds key works of art from Donald Judd, Dan Flavin and others. In the 1970s, Donald Judd acquired the former  Fort D. A. Russell in Marfa to house his work and work of his friends. The buildings of the fort have been converted as exhibit spaces. The work can only be seen with a docent -- we spent three hours at the Fort and at the Foundation's space in the downtown of Marfa. Truly amazing.

At the foundation, there are 15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984. You walk to see the works in their natural setting. The other works cannot be photographed.

Main offices at the Foundation

Part of the Fort

15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984

15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984

15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984

15 untitled works in concrete, 1980-1984 from a distance

Marfa, Texas, December 2015

In West Texas, we stopped at Marfa, which is an amazing little town filled with more than 20 art galleries. We knew nothing of Marfa but friends recommended it and we were very pleased to stop there for five nights. There is so much to do in the town and the area. I would love to return. Here is some of the cityscape.

The courthouse at night. 

The Ayn Foundation

Palace Theater

Courthouse

Sherrif

Hotel Paisano

Cycling the San Antonio River, December 2015

We had a few days in San Antonio, as we were trying to move quite quickly in a westerly direction. On a perfect day, we rode from the San Francisco De La Espada mission up the San Antonio River towards the city. The river authority is working to restore the river to its former self, with floodplains, tree planting and a lovely bike path that runs all the way to San Antonio. Great also to see police cycling on the path.

San Antonio River

Sculpture beside the bike path

LBJ Library, Austin, TX, December 2015

Lyndon Johnson was a complex individual who caused so many positive developments -- but the spectre of Vietnam will always hang over his legacy. I loved reading the Caro history of LBJ and, like many others, am waiting for the final volume. So, visiting the LBJ Presidential Library was high on my agenda for Austin, TX. The library was not quite as hagiographical as I had expected and well worthwhile to visit for a few hours.

The holdings can be seen from the second floor. Impressive and no doubt designed to be impressive.

A replica of the Oval Office .. and three TVs for LBJ who watched all the news shows, often simultaneously.

The Lincoln Continental

Cycling Austin, TX, December 2015

The Colorado River runs through Austin, TX. It has been damned and a lake created. One of Lady Bird Johnson's efforts was to create a bike path, at a time when this was unusual in US cities. We rode up and down the bike path on the northern side of the lake. This is an excellent resource. 

Bike path

Temporary public art

The lake

Culture in Austin, December 2015

Austin is known as a hive for youth culture. We were able to take in three cultural activities in Austin.  

A real fun event was the launch of the Naked Feminists, which is a comedy on the web. The writers and performers organized at the The Institution Theatre. An excellent evening of stand up comedy, music and the first episode of the show. 

The cast of the Naked Feminist

We attended a great performance of Dracula from  Different Stages held at Vortex, which is an excellent small theater,  bar and restaurant (OK, a food truck). It was done quite traditionally in terms of the script -- but not the staging. 

And then for something completely different, we attended the Christmas concert of the Texas Early Music Project (TEMP). Which was of the highest standard. 

Contemporary Art in Dallas,Texas 2015

We spent a pleasant afternoon visiting galleries in Dallas. The warehouse district between the city and the Trinity River has become a mecca for local artists and galleries. Dallas is pretty cheap for artists to live and there is (I imagine) a good source of support in the local wealthy community.

First up was the Dallas Contemporary, which is a large old warehouse structure that has been converted into a flexible space.

Adriana Varejão from Brazil does tremendous work .. in three distinct series. I particularly loved the large landscape works, which are almost in 3D, with the surface of the earth projecting from the canvas. Very striking. There were a couple of other important exhibitions at the Contemporary, including striking photographs from Synchrodogs.

Color Wheels

Colored portraits

Landscape?

Photography from Synchrodogs

A series from the USA

Then on to several galleries. Of particular interest was the exhibition at Circuit12 Gallery. We were both taken with the work of Matthew Zefeldt in a group exhibition.  He is a young artist who brings together traditional art forms of oil painting and the digital. All is paintings are done by hand in oil, but seem on first view to be a digital collage. Just really funny and challenging. I was surprised that they had not sold.

Matthew Zefeldt

Matthew Zefeldt

Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, December 2015

From Houston, we made our way north to Dallas and Fort Worth. I was rather taken with Fort Worth -- perhaps because it is not so overwhelming as Dallas.

On the night we arrived, we drove out to Fort Worth to Rahr and Sons Brewery to listen to the young opera singers from Fort Worth Opera. We were expecting thirty or so at the Brewery .. wrong, wrong, wrong. There was a crush of two to three hundred people, most drinking beer and talking, but some listening to the opera. It was a very difficult environment for the performers but they labored mightly against the odds. A friendly group of people gave us several hints on where to visit in Forth Worth.

Hundreds of people at the brewery, many lining up for beer (of course!)

Singing opera in a brewery? That is tough!

On the Friday afternoon after I had presented at the University of North Texas, we headed back to the Stockyards District at Fort Worth to see the running of the longhorns. This celebrates a time in Texas history -- a very short time, as it happens, of only a dozen years -- when longhorns were driven to Fort Worth for sale. Twice a day, a group of longhorns are driven down Stockyards Boulevard for the tourists. Interesting to see.

The longhorns being run down Stockyards Boulevard. Notice something wrong in this picture? Look carefully.

In the stockyards

At night, we went to see the rodeo, that is on each weekend year round. I had last been to see a rodeo in the 1990s -- actually, across town at the Mesquite Rodeo. The rodeo is down to earth -- literally. You have to take it for what it is.

At the rodeo

Museum District, Houston, December 2015

One of the great things about Houston is that all the (many) major museums are within walking distance -- or at least, they are in a few minutes by car. We visited the Menil Collection, the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Asia Society Texas Center on different days. The Menil Collection was funded by the de Menil family with oil wealth. It has a stupendous collection of surrealist art and modern American art. Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed, so look up their website. The main building is by Renzo Piano and a striking example of his typical pavilions (and see my post on Fort Worth for another pavilion).

The Contemporary Arts Museum had an exhibition of contemporary Texas design, which was lively and challenging. Who knew there was such as thing as contemporary Texas design!?

And the   Asia Society Texas Center is in a relatively new building by Yoshio Taniguchi, who did the renovation of MOMA in NYC. The Center had an exhibition of contemporary art from Asia which was nothing less than stunning.

Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich works in rattan

The building

Seon Ghi Bahk works with charcoal, strung on nylon line from the ceiling. I have seen nothing like it. You have to stand and look at these works for quite some time.

Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich works in rattan

Mineko Grimmer’s sculptural sound installations

Every 11 minutes, the pond on the second level has mist .. adds a mystical flavor to the building