January 2, 2009  I just wrapped up two months in Marfa, TX working at the Chinati Foundation.  I was honored to have the opportunity to spend so much time there getting to know the collection very intimately.  It was an amazing experience and I am very grateful to have ongoing educational opportunities to share what I’ve learned with people who have probably never heard of or been to Chinati. 
The Chinati Foundation is located on 340 acres just outside the Marfa city limits.  The land itself was established in 1911 as a cavalry unit during the Mexican revolution.  At that time, it served to protect local ranchers and businessmen as well as refugees fleeing Mexico.  In 1930, the land was renamed Fort D.A. Russell and functioned as a military garrison throughout the second World War.  The garrison was deactivated in 1945 and then officially closed in October of 1946.  Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, the land lay largely dormant.  In the early 1970’s it was used briefly to house senior citizens in the area.  At that time, Donald Judd established a summer residence in Marfa and purchased a full city block in the downtown.  Within a few years he became a full-time resident and began to implement his vision of contemporary art spaces.  In 1979, with funding from the Dia Foundation, Judd purchased 340 acres of the former Fort D.A. Russell which would, in 1986, be opened to the public as The Chinati Foundation.

Judd originally envisioned a place where he could permanently install the work of three artists:  John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, and himself.  Chinati now maintains permanent installations by twelve artists as well as an annually rotating temporary exhibition and a continually rotating  program of artists in residence.

To see the full gallery of Chinati photos, click here.