Twenty-one houses in and around Marfa; Texas; provide a glimpse at creative life and design in one of the art world’s most intriguing destinations. When Donald Judd began his Marfa project in the early 1970s; it was regarded as an idiosyncratic quest. Today; Judd is revered for his minimalist art and the stringent standards he applied to everything around him; including interiors; architecture; and furniture. The former water stop has become a mecca for artists; art pilgrims; and design aficionados drawn to the creative enclave; the permanent installations called “among the largest and most beautiful in the world;†and the austerely beautiful high-desert landscape. In keeping with Judd’s site-specific intentions; those who call Marfa home have made a choice to live in concert with their untamed; open surroundings. Marfa Modern features houses that represent unique responses to this setting—the sky; its light and sense of isolation—some that even predate Judd’s arrival. Here; conceptual artist Michael Phelan lives in a former Texaco service station with battery acid stains on the concrete floor and a twenty-foot dining table lining one wall. A chef’s modest house comes with the satisfaction of being handmade down to its side tables and bath; which expands into a private courtyard with an outdoor tub. Another artist uses the many rooms of her house; a former jail; to shift between different mediums—with Judd’s Fort D. A. Russell works always visible from her second-story sun porch. Extraordinary building costs mean that Marfa dwellers embrace a culture of frontier ingenuity and freedom from excess—salvaged metal signs become sliding doors and lengths of pipe become lighting fixtures; industrial warehouses are redesigned after the area’s white-cube galleries to create space for private or personally created art collections; and other materials are suggested by the land itself: walls are made of adobe bricks or rammed earth to form sculptural courtyards; or; in one remarkable instance; a mix of mud and brick plastered with local soils; cactus mucilage; horse manure; and straw.
#864121 in Books Bernard; Shane K. 2003-03-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .72 x 6.04l; .76 #File Name: 1578065232220 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Great social commentary for the misplaced cajun generations!By J. TheriotFirst off; a qualifier; I am not through the book yet.Second; kudos for it being offered via Kindle.Third; everyone who is cajun and born after 1940 should read this.Fourth; I HOPE...Mr Bernard; that you continue to write about your ethnic background. And hello from a fellow Aggie. I am going to dig up your research because I hope it is as good as this book.Having been born and raised in Pt. Arthur/Grand Chenier region; this book describes wonderfully what I experienced growing up as a child; teen; and adult. I had elders in my family who spoke broken english and just smiled at me when I spoke to them. These people were parents of the generation that this book is centered around-the 'WW2 family starting generation'. I have great memories of my family and this book helps me better understand who they were and the generations that defined them.I don't find the book as 'critical' as some others have mentioned; I find it to be very honest about certain topics than most 'educated' historians would have no clue about.Personally; I have ran into ethnic stereotypes about cajuns throughout my life (most recently while doing my master's in NY) (the most funny being a girl I dated family labeling me in a negative manner as a 'creole boy'). This book helped me understand why this occurs; and in some way accept the ignorance of those who do this to us.Aside from me thinking "Yes; I experienced that" / "I remember that when I was younger" / "I grew up in that family" while I was reading this book; it is a great summary on a very important time period overlooked by the acadian / cajun historians.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Understanding Other Cultures: Bliss vs. IgnoranceBy Joel K. LucksA succinct; yet information-packed accounting of the Cajun culture in southern Louisiana during a period of incredible change; cultural pressure and "growing pains" of a country. In this vast United States how many cultures never "hit the radar;" and what a shame. We grow up in a town that we never leave; and we never "see" how the rest of the country grew up or lives now; hence; we miss so much.Cajun culture; of course; is as much a part of our American culture as any; and to better understand it enables us to embrace just how diverse and beautiful this Cajun inheritance is.With each new and ever-changing decade of change; Shane Bernard captures those "key moments in time;" and allows those mile markers to mark our own lives and to learn from other's experience. The only next best thing is to visit south Louisiana for yourself!Joel LucksLong Island; N.Y.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The CajunsBy anitaloseweightThis book was not what I was expecting. It was better. It talks about how the Cajuns have come to be Americanized. While that may sound strange to anyone who is not Cajun; I understand exactly what the author is talking about and can relate so well to his book. I recommend it.
