Okay, last time, I left off with us at the Chinati Foundation, which is the art museum and sculpture garden founded by the late Donald Judd. We had been outside seeing Judd’s huge concrete sculptures.
I had also admitted that, while the kids love Judd’s works, Martha and I weren’t the perfect audience for them. But, that’s fine. That’s what art is about.
We then went to the Inside part of the exhibits. When Judd purchased much of the old Air Force base, he also got a number of buildings -- including some very large Quonset huts that were used for everything from storing munitions to housing German POWs during World War II.
I realize that just using the term “Quonset Hut” may date me. The word was very much in my vocabulary when I was...uh...younger. But I have discovered that the expression might be falling out of use. So...a Quonset Hut is a kind of inexpensive, quickly constructed building made out of corrugated steel.(1) It’s “semi-circular in cross section” (to quote Wikipedia), so it looks sort of like a giant metal half pipe. Huge numbers of them were turned out in World War II, mostly for housing soldiers, though afterwards many found their way into civilian life. I’ve been in Quonsets, but I’ve never lived in one. Though, whenever I visited a hut, I found it to be surprisingly comfortable. (2)
Certainly, I can see why Judd and the other Minimalists would have found them appealing. They are profoundly minimalist themselves--clean lines, not burdened with useless adornments, the ultimate in “form follows function.”
Anyway, we popped into the nearest Quonset Hut. This particular one held some of Judd’s metal works. These are various shapes--cubes, etc. -- made of highly burnished aluminum...absolutely mirror-bright.(3)
Here, Martha and I were a bit more in our element. This felt more like art we were used to. The pieces were hard to describe, but we found them attractive, intellectually stimulating, and rather beautiful -- particularly given that they were set in the huge, long, much-remodeled Quonset Huts with vast windows on either side. The metal objects were between, and reflected the sage brush and scrub outside.
About the photos: Several today. First, three of the Quonset Huts at various angles. You can see why the Minimalists might like them. I also love the huge glass windows that have since been installed. The combination of the polished metal artworks and the desert scenery outside is amazing.
Then, second, just cause I like posting pictures of what one of my favorite relatives calls “my photogenic wife,” here’s Martha standing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on our 2024 visit there.
We made our way through the buildings while speaking, again, mostly in respectfully hushed tones. Except, of course, me...being me...had to get into a conversation with one of the interns. He was full of information about the exhibit, and the building, and the building’s use in the past. I had noticed that there was a sign in German on one of the walls. He explained that it had to do with the POWs who were held here during the war. He was a bit of an historian as well as an art student, and we had a lovely chat about the Base, the POWs, Donald Judd’s interest in metal, and how he came to be an intern there and what it was like to work at the Foundation and what he hoped to do with his own artworks in future...
And periodically someone would go past us and give us...The Look. The Disapproving Look. I see that Look a lot. I’m used to it. Some would say that generating The Look is my Calling In Life and my one, true talent. I’m proud of that.
Anyway, after that, we headed for the gift shop. Then, we discussed the perennial problem. To wit, what next. After some debate, we decided it was time for lunch. Naturally, the kids had a plan. “We’ll go to The Sentinel,” they said. We had no idea what “The Sentinel” was, but we got in our car and followed theirs obediently.
Shortly, we were back to the center of town. The Sentinel proved to be “a coffee shop, restaurant, bar and event venue” at 209 West El Paso Street in Marfa.(4) The kicker is that it is also the home of a working newspaper, specifically, the Big Bend Sentinel.(5)
But how, you might ask, did a newspaper end up combined with a restaurant, bar, event venue, and...or so we saw when we got there...an art gallery? I had to wait for the answer to that, and so, you will, too. I’ll explain soon.
Right now...back to lunch. We gave our orders and then waited. I don’t recall what we ordered, now. I do remember it was pretty good when it came...but that it also seemed to take forever. Definitely not fast food.
Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but we had two young children in tow, and things got complicated. But, finally, after a very long time, and our checking once or twice to see if we’d been forgotten (I think we had been, but no one would say so), the meals finally came.
After that, we were headed to the AirB&B for a rest. But that was only a break in the day.
For very soon, we would be off to “the Marfa Wool and Mohair Building,” which is today filled to the tippy top with the steel sculptures and repurposed car parts of sculptor John Chamberlain [1927–2011].(6) And, frankly, these would ...ever so slightly...and for reasons of my own...
Creep me out.
More to come.
Footnotes:
1. Quonset hut, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quonset_hut
2. For the pluses and minuses of living in a Quonset hut, see this interesting article, “ Living in Quonset Hut Homes: Five years of residing in a unique steel structure has given the author insights into the quirks and qualms of this nontraditional housing.” By Kristin Grant. Mother Earth News. Updated on October 23, 2022. https://www.motherearthnews.com/sustainable-living/green-homes/home-design/quonset-hut-houses-zm0z22djzawar/
3. “Donald Judd 100 untitled works in mill aluminum, 1982–1986,” Chinati Foundation, https://chinati.org/collection/donald-judd/
4. The Sentinel, https://thesentinelmarfa.com/
5. The Big Bend Sentinel, https://bigbendsentinel.com/about/
6. John Chamberlin, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chamberlain_(sculptor)
About the photos: Several today. First, three of the Quonset Huts at various angles. You can see why the Minimalists might like them. I also love the huge glass windows that have since been installed. The combination of the polished metal artworks and the desert scenery outside is amazing.
Then, second, just cause I like posting pictures of what one of my favorite relatives calls “my photogenic wife,” here’s Martha standing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on our 2024 visit there.
Copyright©2024 Michael Jay Tucker
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