Mirroring the vision of the Ballroom itself, a non-profit cultural space founded on the belief that art can impact the human spirit positively, OPTIMO brings together nine artists whose work celebrates life, incorporating visual pleasure, humor, interactivity, color, technology, industrial design, politics, landscape, spirituality, and popular culture.
In the North Gallery, Franco Mondini-Ruiz presents a new, large-scale installation titled "Giant." This massive, baroque assemblage of found objects dominates the Ballroom's front gallery floor, expanding Mondini-Ruiz' signature vignettes of culturally-fused visual components.
A survey of Sarah Morris' film installations occupies Ballroom's South Gallery. Known for her graphic paintings of abstract architecture and urban design, Morris has also explored the dynamics of urban space in four film works made since 1998.
Don Howard, an Austin-based filmmaker and professor of film editing at the University of Texas, will screen a series of films illustrating two of the primary sources of a documentary film's power: cinematography and editing.
Last fall, four of the world's top jazz improvisers combined forces for a performance at the Ballroom. Join us for a listening party of the album recorded that night.
Commissioned by The Ballroom as a component of the Fire Into Music presentation, the silkscreened mural was printed directly onto the gallery walls.
Join us for an evening with John Waters, the filmmaker, author, and photographer based in Baltimore and New York City, who became famous as "the Pope of Trash" (William Burroughs) and the "King of suburban exploitation."
Through the generosity and non-financial support of the McDonald Observatory, Blumenfeld was granted the rare opportunity to work in an astronomer's house at the Observatory's main peak. During her two-month stay, Blumenfeld created the video work Moving Light: Lunation 1011.
The Ballroom is proud to present two solo exhibitions opening on the night of January 29th. In the North Gallery, Richard Erickson exhibits The Folding Nose and Other Works and in South Gallery, Erika Blumenfeld presents Lunation 1011.
As a part of the Ballroom's on-going Music on Film series, Vance Knowles & Noel Waggener have programmed a group of documentaries that explore musicians' lives and works.
Continuing the Ballroom's Music on Film series, SOUND team selects two documentaries based on the creative inspirations and technical masteries behind the creation of music.
In the spirit of the Music on Film series, recently signed Capitol Records-artists, SOUNDteam, bring their bullwhips and boas to Marfa for film screenings and a live show.
From the folk-influenced compositions of Bela Bartok and Gyorgy Ligeti, cellist Matt Haimovitz and DJ Olive embark on a journey from Hungarian/Romanian folk roots to American pop culture, blurring the boundaries between concert music and dance party.
Acclaimed theatre director André Gregory will be in residence in Marfa, Texas and will perform, with a small group of actors, artists, and designers, Samuel Beckett’s Endgame in an open rehearsal format, as well as presenting readings, talks, and screenings of his influential films My Dinner with Andre and Vanya on 42nd Street.
Ballroom Marfa proudly presents its first single-topic exhibition, a multi-discipline project devoted solely to bringing attention to a global environmental issue: Water.
Please join us for a special show with Magnolia Electric Company, starring Jason Molina, as they pass through town on their fall tour. Ray's Bar, $5 at the door.
Ballroom Marfa is proud to announced its first group exhibition devoted to emerging artists whose work is informed by their experience of urban and suburban life in contemporary American culture. Curated by Fairfax Dorn, You Are Here will be on view October 6 through February 27, 2006.
For the past eighteen years, the members of Yo La Tengo (Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew) have been making eclectic, adventurous music that ranges freely between genres and styles.
Directed by Margaret Brown, this acclaimed documentary, Be Here to Love Me, is a compassionately directed portrait of Townes Van Zandt's life and career.
Patty Griffin is one of today’s most powerful singer/songwriters, touching on universal truth, beauty, and sadness in life.
