Presidio County Courthouse, Marfa Texas (1884)

And the (1986) C10 Chevy

It's easy to make fun of Marfa as a high falutin' art town planted in the high desert but the reality is more complicated, more hopeful, more interesting. And if it wasn't for Donald Judd, and Chinati's roster of visitors and artists-in residence (like Rob Fischer) Marfa would probably look a lot like Van Horne or Fort Stockton or even Valentine, other West Texas once-were-cattle-towns that have more or less dried up and blown away. Marfa has its issues, to be sure, and the gap between privilege and unprivilege can be disconcerting and painful to behold. But Art has done far better by this Texas town than any other industry ever would, be it cattle, cotton, oil, or factories. Art feels here to stay, along with it tourist dollars, construction wages, tax revenue, and a mix of citizens--deep locals and people from Away-- sharing a common interest in making and keeping the town as a thriving community.