Bonnets in Van Horn, 1913-1914

Ladies in Bonnets with Guy Garren, Photograph, ca. 1913 - 1914;
digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14039/),
University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History,
http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Clark Hotel Museum, Van Horn, Texas.

Click on the photo for a closer view!

It isn't too late to run the Marathon2Marathon! (Or the 5K, 10K or Half!)

The Marathon 2 Marathon is an annual event held in late October...this year, on October 26th. This event consists of the full 26.2 mile Marathon, a 13.1 mile Half Marathon, a 6.2 mile 10K and a 3.1 mile 5K all sharing the same course on Hwy 385 north between Ft. Stockton and Marathon finishing in front of the Historic Gage Hotel in downtown Marathon.

The course is fast, mostly downhill and is a Boston qualifier!

Other activities included in this event is a pre-race pasta dinner, a Catfish Fry Fundraiser with live entertainment, an awards ceremony followed by a post race party with live entertainment. You don't have to be a runner to participate and enjoy this exciting event!

Gage Hotel in Marathon

Marathon2Marathon's schedule of all related events is here.  Race info is here.  Registration for runners is here!

This event appears on our Texas Mountain Trail events calendar here.

The Visit Marathon website is here.  Their lodging directory is here!

The Marathon 2 Marathon is an annual event held in late October. This event consists of the full 26.2 mile Marathon, a 13.1 mile Half Marathon, a 6.2 mile 10K and a 3.1 mile 5K all sharing the same course on Hwy 385 north between Ft. Stockton and Marathon finishing in front of the Historic Gage Hotel in Downtown Marathon. Other activities included in this event is a pre-race pasta dinner, a Catfish Fry Fundraiser with live entertainment, an awards ceremony followed by a post race party with live entertainment. You don't have to be a runner to participate and enjoy this exciting event. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/marathon-2-marathon#sthash.fu2E2PRL.dpuf

For Chinati Weekend: World Monuments Fund Names Chinati Foundation to 2014 Watch List

This is one of the times Marfa fills with art lovers; today begins Chinati Weekend with special programs and exhibitions around town, some free to the public.  The full schedule, provided by the Chinati Foundation is here.

Of note is the recent news that the World Monuments Fund named the Chinati Foundation to their 2014 Watch List.  (Click here to read the entire list.) From the Chinati website:

"World Monuments Fund is the leading independent organization devoted to saving the world's treasured places.  For nearly fifty years, in one hundred countries, the World Monuments Fund has worked to preserve the world's architectural and cultural heritage represented by great buildings and sites that define a particular period of artistic expression or that symbolize a cultural era."

"The 2014 Watch features sixty-seven sites in forty-one countries and territories on five continents.  The Chinati Foundation is only one of six sites chosen in the United States."

"The 2014 WATCH press release, issued by World Monuments Fund on October 8, 2013, states," A recurring theme of the Watch has been the need to recognize the importance and special issues of the architecture of the recent past."

"Saving modern heritage sites begins with recognition of their significance, and also requires an innovative approach to conservation work, dealing with materials that were unconventional and innovative themselves at themselves at the time of the buildings' construction."

"The international attention provided by this designation will help Chinati expand awareness of the museum that Donald Judd established in Marfa, Texas.  It provides a vital tool to galvanize support from a variety of sources, including national and regional governments, foundations, corporate sponsors, and private donors.  We look forward to updating you as we work in concert with the World Monuments Fund to preserve The Chinati Foundation for future generations."

Come Anyway...Big Bend Alternatives

If you had plans to visit Big Bend in October, come anyway, despite the federal parks closures!  There are lodging and outfitter/adventure opportunities in Terlingua, Study Butte and Lajitas (www.visitbigbend.com is a GREAT resource) and Big Bend Ranch State Park is close by with PLENTY of room for visitors.  

Colorado Canyon River Access View
Big Bend Ranch State Park

Click for a closer view!
Hoo Doos along the River Road
Big Bend Ranch State Park

Why not visit the Terlingua Ghost Town Cemetery or the Starlight Theatre?  Now's the time to visit all those places near Big Bend...the places you've always wanted to try?

A List We Don't Want to Be ON, But Are: 10 Best Places for Fall Foliage (But Can't See Now)

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

A list from the National Parks Conservation Association includes our own Guadalupe Mountains National Park:  "The 10 Best Place You Can't See Fall Foliage" because of the national parks closures due to the government shutdown.

Unfortunately, our McKittrick Canyon and Devil's Hall trails (traditionally the best for fall colors) experienced damaging floods in September, and it may take some time for those areas to reopen.  Extra trail crew staff were working hard on McKittrick before the national park closures October 1, so the status of this year's color season is still uncertain.  Take a look at the flooding in McKittrick Canyon, via YouTube:

When the trail reopens, we've been advised it probably won't be rated "easy," but will be safe and passable.  We heard the flooding made many changes to the trail, and hikers might find their "old favorite" could feel new again.  We're excited to see it ourselves! 

As soon as we hear the status of trail work after the parks reopen, we'll share the park's estimated date for visits to McKittrick Canyon.  Stay tuned here, on our Facebook page, and/or our Twitter account!

Our Project with Texas Folklife--Ranch Cooking with Bob Kinford

Our Texas Mountain Trail non-profit organization is working with the statewide Texas Folklife to document foodways in Far West Texas, for their project "A Place at the Table."  As a part of that project, we interviewed Van Horn's "Cowboy Gourmet," Bob Kinford, who is a cookbook author, cowboy cook and humorist, advocate for agriculture and a teacher of low-stress stockmanship and holistic grazing without extra fencing. 

Earlier this summer, Bob demonstrated his dutch oven cooking with a breakfast omelet, full of ham and cheese and chiles.  We documented his process...take a look at it here.  Looks great, right?

Click HERE to reach our six page mini-document on Bob, his cooking and his dutch oven omelet, with links to more information!

Bob's cookbook, The Gourmet Cowboy, is available through Amazon.com, here.

Two apps to help you get insider information!

If you're looking for travel apps for our region, there's some good news!  A new regional travel app was launched this week to help visitors find the best of Marfa.



The new Marfa app, launched just yesterday, was designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and was created by Buck Johnston, the developer behind marfalist.org, just in time for this year's Chinati Weekend.

The app for Marfa is particularly helpful because this small town has a scarcity of street signs (which can make it hard to find things) but plenty of "hidden jewels" for visitors to discover. Sometimes visitors arrive in the small town and wonder, "What is there to do?" and "Where is everyone?" The app will tell you what's happening, and the maps will help you find it!


We've always thought El Paso was a surprisingly charming city, you just had to get off the freeway and discover the neighborhoods and its history and culture. The Visit El Paso app, provided by the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau was updated this summer to include events in the city, and additional photos and videos. If you want some help finding your own adventure in the city, it also offers half- and full-day travel itineraries with stop-by-stop directions.  The Visit El Paso app was created by PhiDev, Inc.

Two Pet-Happy Events in the Mountains!

Kitty on the trail in Franklin Mountains
State Park, photo: Adrianna Weickhardt

Grand Companions Annual Collectibles, Antiques and Fun Stuff Sale in Fort Davis-Saturday, October 26th
Grand Companions Humane Society's Annual Tent Sale
Cool Stuff, Music, Pets, Snacks, Raffles and more
All proceeds benefit Grand Companions Humane Society

This event on our Texas Mountain Trail calendar, here.

2nd Annual Happy Tails and Happy Trails Event at Franklin Mountains State Park-Saturday morning, November 2nd
Franklin Mountains State Park is partnering with the Animal Rescue League of El Paso to bring you this very special event for a second year! Some of the shelter's adoptable (adorable) dogs will be brought to the park. Participants can walk the dogs and get to know them while hiking some of our great trails. We’ll have information and talks on healthy and safe hiking with your pooches while out in the park. Even if you aren’t looking to adopt, come out for a chance to brighten a dog’s day or bring your pooch for a fun outing and a chance to socialize your dogs at your state park.

The event is on our Texas Mountain Trail calendar, here.

Franklin Mountains State Park is partnering with the Animal Rescue League of El Paso to bring you this very special event for a second year! Some of the shelter's adoptable (adorable) dogs will be brought to the park. Participants can walk the dogs and get to know them while hiking some of our great trails. We’ll have information and talks on healthy and safe hiking with your pooches while out in the park. Even if you aren’t looking to adopt, come out for a chance to brighten a dog’s day or bring your pooch for a fun outing and a chance to socialize your dogs at your state park.
The focus for the event includes three main goals: 1) Adopting out some deserving animals to loving homes, 2) Encouraging folks from our southwest region to get outdoors and get healthy all the while sharing that time with their pets, and 3) Promoting yet another way people can recreate in their beloved Texas State Parks.
The very first Happy Tails n’ Happy Trails event last year brought a surprisingly large number of people out: Over 50 participants along with over 50 dogs! It was a tail waggin’ good time, with barks and yaps filling the park; we are hoping to have a bigger turn out this year with a goal of connecting all of the adoptable dogs to their new companions and sharing local pet-friendly organizations and businesses with them.
- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/el-paso-2nd-annual-happy-tails-n-happy-trails#sthash.6Ligv9ky.dpuf

Driving our long stretches...

Hiking Alternatives for You-Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center

We're hearing from lots of folks this week seeking hiking alternatives now that our national parks are temporarily closed.  One of the places we suggest is Fort Davis' Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, which has some nice trails for hiking (all levels of difficulty) that would fill a morning or afternoon.

Here's a video of a group hiking down from the Clayton's Overlook trail, which offers a 360 degree view (and great interpretive panels) of the entire Davis Mountains.

Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver

You're invited to a special event for Tom Lea Month on Thursday October 17, 2013 at the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine!  There will be a speical presentation by Brandon Shuler of “ There’s Indians in Them There Hills: A Narrative in Illustrating Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver”


Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver was Lea’s and Dobie’s first collaborative work. The creative process forged a relationship that was far-reaching and lifelong. During the illustration process for Apache Gold, Lea and Dobie discovered their mutual interest in and love for the Southwest. Through much of their correspondence, from 1937 to 1939, Lea and Dobie discuss the stories and their creative processes behind each illustration.

By using excerpts from their letters, Brandon D. Shuler uncovers the unpublished stories behind the illustrations.

Brandon D. Shuler is a PhD candidate in Literature, Social Justice, and the Environment at Texas Tech University. He is currently editing the unpublished letters of Tom Lea and J. Frank Dobie, forthcoming this year from University of Texas Press. His first book, Glory of the Silver King, was a Texas Outdoors Writers Association 2012 Book of the Year. He has a collection of short stories forthcoming this year from Texas Review Press.


Thursday, October 17, 2013
Museum of the Big Bend | Sul Ross State University | Alpine, TX

Meet the speaker from 6-6:45pm
Presentation begins at 7:00 pm

Mr. Shuler will have his books available for purchase and signing.
The event on our Texas Mountain Trail calendar, here.

Birding Alternatives when our Public Lands are Closed

We want to welcome you to visit a fantastic blog about nature in the Big Bend, at www.bigbendnature.com  Their latest post provides LOTS of alternatives for birders who've been disappointed by closures at Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Davis Mountains State Park. 

The birding team of Heidi Trudell and Matthew York of Marathon offer scouting and guiding services...and their blog is excellent.  They've put together a quick and easy list of birding sites you might try now that our national park properties are closed; and Davis Mountains State Park is undergoing a major infrastructure upgrade, and closed as well.

Check out their advice at yesterday's entry, "Birding the Furlough."

The Marfa 100 is coming soon! (Sign up now for the race or the fun ride!)

One of our favorite riding routes in the region, FM2810 (also known as Pinto Canyon Road) is going to be the location for a great road cycling race and fun ride on October 19...the Marfa 100.  Race a 100K or sign up for the 30K fun ride, here.

The event is a benefit for the Marfa International School, and the kids will lead the riders out of town before the race begins...this is a true small-town event.  The evening of the ride, there will be music and a movie!  Download this poster for more information! 

All participants will receive a t-shirt, food and beverages and free tickets to the movie and music! And there will be unique prizes for the top age finishers! 

Estimated course elevations, click for a closer view!

Do we have Texas' TOP Destinations? YES, we DO!

Casa Grande in Big Bend National Park

Does our Texas Mountain Trail region have the best travel destinations in Texas?  YES, we think so!!

Fort Davis National Historic Site

Now's your turn to tell Texas Highways all about them...they're looking for public input on the TOP 40 destinations in the state! 

Is any of these?

Night sky outside Marathon

Hueco Tanks

Marfa's art community
Prada Marfa

McDonald Observatory

Fall colors at McKittrick Canyon,
Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Click HERE to tell them your favorite Texas Mountain destination!  Deadline is October 15!

In Case of a Government Shutdown Tomorrow, Alternatives for your Travel

If the federal government shuts down tomorrow, our national park facilities (Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Fort Davis National Historic Site and Chamizal National Memorial) will lock the gates and be unavailable for our use until Washington resolves the budget issue.
If you  were planning to head our way for one of our national parks, there's no reason to stay at home. Here are some alternatives:

If you were headed for Big Bend, now might be the time to engage an outfitter for a river or jeep or horseback riding adventure.  

If you were interested in birding and wildlife watching, there are plenty of other sites available to you on the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail (a cooperative project between our Texas Mountain Trail and Texas Parks and Wildlife), and all the trail info is online here.
   Big Bend Loop
   Marathon Alpine Loop
   Davis Mountains Loop
   Upper Rio Grande Loop
   Guadalupe Mountains Van Horn Loop
   El Paso Rio Loop
   El Paso Uplands Loop

Hiking can be done in many locations on the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail, but here are some of our favorites:

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center in Fort Davis
Madera Canyon Trail in the Davis Mountains Preserve (a dawn to dusk Nature Conservancy trail)


And OF COURSE, our state parks:
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Barton Warnock Visitor Center
Franklin Mountains State Park
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site (visitation is limited, call the park ahead for information)

Some important state park closures to note:
    Balmorhea State Park's springfed swimming pool will be closed today through Wednesday, October 2.  It will reopen this Thursday.
    Davis Mountains State Park is closed for major infrastructure work through mid-March, although the Indian Lodge will remain open for visitor stays.

Don't forget to check our Texas Mountain Trail events calendar for special events across the region!

And of course, our towns will love having you stay in campgrounds, hotels/motels or B&Bs, and dine in our restaurants!  Come out and enjoy the Texas Mountains, whatever Washington decides to do!

Save Prada Marfa?

The Prada Marfa sculpture just north of Valentine is now under scrutiny by the Texas Department of Transportation, which has ruled it is not art, but advertising and is illegal.  After eight years, this artwork could be torn down.

Today, we offer some remembrances, some news and some background to help you make up your own mind.

Our Texas Mountain Trail was established in 2005, and our Executive Director wrote this in her personal blog after seeing the newly erected structure along the side of the road:

"One of my favorite drives is down to Marfa, about an hour from Van Horn. Because I'm still new to the long isolated distances and always prepared for any contingency in the desert, I ready myself like an astronaut going into space. My Subaru roof antenna is plugged into the office cell phone, on my lap and in vibrate/ring mode. Check. My personal cell phone, also on the lap in vibrate/ring mode. Emergency water and powerbar on the floor on the passenger side. Check. Two more gallons of emergency water is behind my seat (we're in the desert, for crying out loud!) CDs on the seat beside me. Check. Personal emergency kit (with foil blanket, candle, and fish hook?) in the glove box. Check. Then the usual auto checks--gas, oil, etc. Check. Check. Check.
Once I settle in, I'm ready to enjoy the ride.

By late summer, I started to recognize the landmarks, and I noticed a curious structure being built on the side of the road. Odd. Too small for a house or store. Too large for a bus shelter, and too far from anything to house kids waiting for the school bus. Yet, there it was, being patiently built by a small crew of men, just a few miles north of Valentine, population 247. A boxy-looking thing, way out in the middle of the desert nowhere.

In early October, I took that road home to Van Horn. The first clue was the portable lighted sign by the only gas station in Valentine. "Welcome Prada Marfa," it said. Huh.

Then I sped by, way too fast to get anything but a hint of what it was. Stop the car, back up. What?!? A Prada store?

There, perfectly and beautifully positioned in the desert, is a sealed time capsule, a non-functional full-sized reproduction of an urban boutique Prada store stocked with the fall 2005 line of shoes and purses. It makes me happy just to look at it. It will decay in time, and the ruin will become part of the landscape."

An update on the controversy and the news from KFO News in El Paso, via the Alpine Daily Planet:

MARFA — Italian handbags and shoes line a store front window along a U.S. highway in the middle of a West Texas desert, but the store has never made a sale.
Of course, it’s not a store at all.
After eight years, the Prada Marfa sculpture outside of Valentine, Texas, has come under the scrutiny of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The iconic art sculpture serves as a pop-up art installation and is entirely sealed off to the public, but a recent controversy involving TxDOT and a famous bunny may close the shop that never even opened.
A spokesperson for TxDOT told the Associated Press that the artwork is an illegal roadside advertisement.
This only happened after Playboy erected its neon bunny logo a few miles down the highway from the Italian fashion house sculpture.
State officials gave Playboy until October to take down the 40-foot structure, which some in Marfa tell KFOX14 didn’t sit well with some locals.
“There been a lot of controversy about that because it’s a Playboy bunny. I think if it were anything else they wouldn’t have a problem with it. All the young people in town love it; it looks really cool when it’s lit up,” said lifelong Marfa resident Andrea Estrada.
TxDOT officials said neither Prada Marfa nor the famous bunny have permits or license to “advertise” on the side of a U.S. highway.
Now questions remain about what will happen to Prada Marfa.

“Oh I don’t know. Prada’s been there for so long. Do you think TxDOT would go after that?” asked Marfa resident Brenda Garcia. It’s hard to say what will happen to the famous artwork. If those high heels could talk, they’d tell of the thousands of photos snapped in front and famous visitors, like Beyonce and everyday visitors like Kelly Robinson from Austin.
“It’s just like what I imagined,” said Robinson as she looked upon the small building.
While state officials may try to paint Prada Marfa with the same brush as the Playboy image, the local art commissioners behind the project say it’s black and white because Prada Marfa simply isn’t an advertisement at all.
“It’s eight years down the road to find out that it’s being misinterpreted as an advertisement, and to have any threat of being taken down is you know, upsetting,” said Melissa McDonnell Lujan, deputy director of Ballroom Marfa.
Ballroom Marfa is one of the commissioners behind the project; Lujan said the state has yet to contact them about the issue.
“Prada didn’t pay for any of the sculpture. It’s completely funded through the non-profits,” said Lujan.
“We don’t want to see Prada Marfa taken down. We want it to stay. It’s not corporately funded. It’s not to promote Prada Marfa,” said Lujan.

- See more at: http://alpinedailyplanet.typepad.com/alpine-daily-planet/2013/09/artists-release-statement-community-reacts-to-prada-marfa-controversy.html#sthash.RZJv3RB7.dpuf

MARFA — Italian handbags and shoes line a store front window along a U.S. highway in the middle of a West Texas desert, but the store has never made a sale.
Of course, it’s not a store at all.

After eight years, the Prada Marfa sculpture outside of Valentine, Texas, has come under the scrutiny of the Texas Department of Transportation.

The iconic art sculpture serves as a pop-up art installation and is entirely sealed off to the public, but a recent controversy involving TxDOT and a famous bunny may close the shop that never even opened.

A spokesperson for TxDOT told the Associated Press that the artwork is an illegal roadside advertisement.

This only happened after Playboy erected its neon bunny logo a few miles down the highway from the Italian fashion house sculpture.

State officials gave Playboy until October to take down the 40-foot structure, which some in Marfa tell KFOX14 didn’t sit well with some locals.

“There been a lot of controversy about that because it’s a Playboy bunny. I think if it were anything else they wouldn’t have a problem with it. All the young people in town love it; it looks really cool when it’s lit up,” said lifelong Marfa resident Andrea Estrada.

TxDOT officials said neither Prada Marfa nor the famous bunny have permits or license to “advertise” on the side of a U.S. highway.

Now questions remain about what will happen to Prada Marfa.

“Oh I don’t know. Prada’s been there for so long. Do you think TxDOT would go after that?” asked Marfa resident Brenda Garcia.

We're not sure who added the bike signs or when they
popped up along the side of the road near Prada Marfa, but
they were fun to spot!

It’s hard to say what will happen to the famous artwork. If those high heels could talk, they’d tell of the thousands of photos snapped in front and famous visitors, like Beyonce and everyday visitors like Kelly Robinson from Austin.

“It’s just like what I imagined,” said Robinson as she looked upon the small building.

While state officials may try to paint Prada Marfa with the same brush as the Playboy image, the local art commissioners behind the project say it’s black and white because Prada Marfa simply isn’t an advertisement at all.

“It’s eight years down the road to find out that it’s being misinterpreted as an advertisement, and to have any threat of being taken down is you know, upsetting,” said Melissa McDonnell Lujan, deputy director of Ballroom Marfa.

Ballroom Marfa is one of the commissioners behind the project; Lujan said the state has yet to contact them about the issue.

“Prada didn’t pay for any of the sculpture. It’s completely funded through the non-profits,” said Lujan.

“We don’t want to see Prada Marfa taken down. We want it to stay. It’s not corporately funded. It’s not to promote Prada Marfa,” said Lujan.

At times, folks have left their business
cards along the
structure at Prada Marfa

MARFA — Italian handbags and shoes line a store front window along a U.S. highway in the middle of a West Texas desert, but the store has never made a sale.
Of course, it’s not a store at all.
After eight years, the Prada Marfa sculpture outside of Valentine, Texas, has come under the scrutiny of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The iconic art sculpture serves as a pop-up art installation and is entirely sealed off to the public, but a recent controversy involving TxDOT and a famous bunny may close the shop that never even opened.
A spokesperson for TxDOT told the Associated Press that the artwork is an illegal roadside advertisement.
This only happened after Playboy erected its neon bunny logo a few miles down the highway from the Italian fashion house sculpture.
State officials gave Playboy until October to take down the 40-foot structure, which some in Marfa tell KFOX14 didn’t sit well with some locals.
“There been a lot of controversy about that because it’s a Playboy bunny. I think if it were anything else they wouldn’t have a problem with it. All the young people in town love it; it looks really cool when it’s lit up,” said lifelong Marfa resident Andrea Estrada.
TxDOT officials said neither Prada Marfa nor the famous bunny have permits or license to “advertise” on the side of a U.S. highway.
Now questions remain about what will happen to Prada Marfa.

“Oh I don’t know. Prada’s been there for so long. Do you think TxDOT would go after that?” asked Marfa resident Brenda Garcia. It’s hard to say what will happen to the famous artwork. If those high heels could talk, they’d tell of the thousands of photos snapped in front and famous visitors, like Beyonce and everyday visitors like Kelly Robinson from Austin.
“It’s just like what I imagined,” said Robinson as she looked upon the small building.
While state officials may try to paint Prada Marfa with the same brush as the Playboy image, the local art commissioners behind the project say it’s black and white because Prada Marfa simply isn’t an advertisement at all.
“It’s eight years down the road to find out that it’s being misinterpreted as an advertisement, and to have any threat of being taken down is you know, upsetting,” said Melissa McDonnell Lujan, deputy director of Ballroom Marfa.
Ballroom Marfa is one of the commissioners behind the project; Lujan said the state has yet to contact them about the issue.
“Prada didn’t pay for any of the sculpture. It’s completely funded through the non-profits,” said Lujan.
“We don’t want to see Prada Marfa taken down. We want it to stay. It’s not corporately funded. It’s not to promote Prada Marfa,” said Lujan.

- See more at: http://alpinedailyplanet.typepad.com/alpine-daily-planet/2013/09/artists-release-statement-community-reacts-to-prada-marfa-controversy.html#sthash.RZJv3RB7.dpuf

And a statement from Ballroom Marfa and the artists, with more excellent background here:

"Prada Marfa: An Explainer
What is Prada Marfa?

Prada Marfa is a site-specific, permanent land art project by artists Elmgreen & Dragset constructed in 2005. Modeled after a Prada boutique, the inaccessible interior of the structure includes luxury goods from Prada’s fall collection from that year. The door does not open, ensuring that the sculpture will never function as a place of commerce. Art Production Fund and Ballroom Marfa co-produced the project.

Prada Marfa is an artwork initiated by ourselves and realized in a collaboration with the not-for-profit cultural organizations Art Production Fund and Ballroom Marfa in 2005. It was not a work commissioned by the fashion brand Prada nor had the fashion brand any involvement in the creation of this work. They kindly gave us the permission to use their logo after we asked them, due to the founder Muccia Prada’s personal interest in contemporary art, and she donated shoes and bags, which have never been renewed but stay the same – as a historic display – inside the sculpture. The right definition of advertisement must be based on criteria more accurate than just including any sign which contains a logo. It is advertisement only when a company either commissions someone to make such a sign, pays for its execution or makes a sign themselves in order to promote the company’s products. And this is not the case here since Prada Marfa never had any commercial link to the fashion brand Prada, unlike the Playboy bunny which went up this summer initiated by Playboy itself.
Prada Marfa is firmly positioned within a contemporary understanding of site specific art, but also draws strongly on pop art and land art – two art forms which were conceived and thrived especially in the USA from the 1960′s and onwards. Many artists, from Andy Warhol with his famous Campbell soup cans to Andreas Gursky with his grand photographic documentation of retail spaces have appropriated and dealt with the visual language of commercial brands. In an increasingly commercialized world, we see the independent artistic treatment of all visual signs and signifiers as crucial to a better and wider understanding of our day-to-day surroundings, including the influence of corporations.

It comes as a big surprise for us that the Texas Department of Transportation now after eight years may declare this well-known artwork to be illegal and we think it would be a shame for the local community if it disappeared after being there for so long since the work clearly is one of the strong points for the cultural tourism, which is such an important financial factor in this region. However, we are very happy to experience the fantastic support from both art professionals internationally, locals and others, who have even created a Facebook page named “Save Prada Marfa” that after just a short while has received almost 4000 likes and daily receives plenty of new posts, stories and images from people who once visited this site. "
– Elmgreen & Dragset

---

For more information on the controversy, read this excellent blog post by Ballroom Marfa.  Consider supporting Ballroom Marfa with a membership gift, here.  To see the "Save Prada Marfa" facebook page, click here.