Twenty years ago, Ballroom Marfa was created with a vision and a commitment to artists to create extraordinary projects, in Marfa and beyond. Established in 2003 by Virginia Lebermann and Fairfax Dorn, Ballroom Marfa has been a refuge for creativity and experimentation for artists. In 2003, the space was inaugurated by María José Arjona with installation and performance work that was part-ritual and a “meditative walk around a ring of charcoal of snake eating itself.”

Since then, Ballroom has continued to transform by working with over 800 artists to make new work, produce exhibitions, public installations, performances, screenings, concerts, symposia, education programs, and publications. A few highlights include:

Pyramids of Conscience by Agnes Denes; Prada Marfa by Elmgreen & Dragset in collaboration with Art Production Fund; Hello Meth Lab in the Sun by Jonah Freeman, Justin Lowe, and Alexander Singh; The Shea Butter Irrigation System by Rashid Johnson; stone circle by Haroon Mirza. More recently, Ballroom Marfa initiated a residency program The Farther Place that has supported artists to explore nascent ideas in their practice and develop new work. 

We’re kicking off the anniversary season with special exhibitions, programs, and commissions including: Perhaps the Truth and Guadalupe Maravilla: Mariposa Relámpago, as well as an anniversary book published with Phaidon | Moncelli Press. 

We are proud to celebrate this momentous year with audiences near and far. We hope to see you at our programs, please join us! Programs are listed below. We remain free and open to all.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us by visiting an exhibition, attending a concert, purchasing our merch, or donating to Ballroom Marfa. To help us continue our work, contribute to the 20th Anniversary Fund. Your tax-deductible will be acknowledged on our online Donor Wall.