Ballroom Marfa

Whimsical art gallery & worth giving a donation for the entertainment. Favorite part was the animation film of a butterfly

The Latinx art currently on display was beautiful and intriguing. Would prefer traditional artwork labels on the walls, though. The description booklet was not super intuitive, and required too much flipping back and forth through pages to match the piece’s number to the description.

Nice stop while driving through marfa. It's free and we were then only ones there. Helpful staff and nice art.

Julie Speed exhibit is currently on exhibition. Worth the price of admission (which is free).

Fun visit to an excellent show by 5 artists on Latino experience in the U.S. Cool place. Very nice shop--bought a great poster.

They built a Prada store in the middle of the desert which is absolutely something I’d have also done if I were them

This place reminds me that I don't understand art sometimes, and that's a good thing. The works made me think outside my normal zone. Great space, would browse again.

Very interesting art gallery and architecture. Not much inside for viewing except some very impressionist standalone and video works.

I enjoyed the strange and unusual items they had on display. I believe it's donation only to walk through, bc it didn't cost to enter. Their outdoor art caught my eye bc I thought it was a food truck. No food happening here! Lots of cool art and this made for a fun quick stop while in downtown Marfa.

One of the only art galleries I really enjoyed here in Marfa. A decent amount of exhibits based on the space inside. All were very intriguing as were the options laid out that were for sale. The woman working the counter was very helpful as well. This gallery is free to explore but does accept donations!

Absolutely fantastic.... I left there having a new appreciation for art - in particular, audio/visual art with a lot of depth and complexity.

Want to experience art? The Ballroom is perfect. The visual room and the audio room take some time to absorb. Don't go there if you are in a hurry.

Admission to Ballroom Marfa is free, but they do suggest a donation to help fund their programming. When in Marfa, explore the arts, right? It's a small gallery, but the exhibit we saw when we were there (Tierra. Sangre. Oro.) was very interesting and well-worth a visit!

The name may be a little deceiving as Ballroom Marfa is primarily an art gallery. It's a small but interesting one at that which you can knock out in an hour or so. The exhibits vary and promote local artists. On our visits, the theme was technology and there were four different rooms to visit: one with a video playing, one with sculptures, some pieces of art outside, and a virtual reality experience. I had never donned a VR headset so it was such a cool experience! Highly recommended if you've never tried it! Admission is free but they do accept donations (there's a box near the entrance).

This non-profit space is Marfa's energy central as far as I'm concerned, with it's ongoing offerings of art, film and music. We happened upon the Ballroom, suggested by the Thunderbird staff, to find a bustling hipster and seasoned artist scene, fueled by an Austin DJ's tunes (who was staying at the Thunderbird), and an open bar. Beautiful space inside, and outside, the courtyard is perfectly built to house parties under the clear Marfa sky. A must to visit. Will head back to witness their new selection of drive in movies.

Ballroom is awesome, and the current exhibit is absolutely a treasure. I go to my share of exhibits and this one is completely worth driving to Marfa for (at least by my sensibilities.) Met JD and Fairfax, two very nice people who were stewarding the Ballroom the day that we went. Everyone in Marfa seems generally down to earth and courteous. http://www.ballroommarfa.org/ I also got to see a glimpse of the new Outdoor Theatre that they're working on which looks like a cross between a honeycomb science experiment and a drive in theater.. wow! Can't wait for that.. here's a glimpse... http://www.mos-office.net/account/index?article_id=530 We became members for $35 which I think is a bargain considering we plan to be out in West Texas more and more.. But on to the exhibit... It's called 'Meth Lab in the Sun' and is an installation where they've completely taken over the Ballroom, and broken up the spaces into 4 distinct areas. The thread of the show seems to be mysticism, paranoia, and various cultures of drugs (like the making of, the high society, and the more hippy side. You might already have in your mind what all this means, but I assure you the show will change your attitudes and will completely blow you away. Here's a nice summary ... http://www.marfa.org/2008/04/say-hello-to-meth-lab-before-goodbye.html

Love the space and particularly enjoyed the exhibition currently installed (Hello Meth Lab in the Sun), which has been described by another reviewer. I'll add to that how amazing all of the details are, including a torched meth kitchen after an explosion, vintage newspaper blocking out the windows on the front entrance, solar tubes everywhere bringing in natural sunlight, and by gawd, you really feel like you're walking through some abandoned 70s ranch turned meth house. All of this is juxtaposed with a creepy-cool pristine room with elaborate moldings and black and white photography inspired by the last scene in Rosemary's Baby. You'll have to experience it to see the connection. Loved it. One of the best parts of the trip. These are also the folks behind Prada Marfa, which I'm eager to check out, and as other reviewers have noted, they're developing an arthouse drive-in movie theater...cool concept.

If your a casual visitor to Big Bend national park and SW Texas then the town of Marfa may confuse you, but in very delightful way. Upon first glance the town looks like nothing more than a small outpost of petrol and sustenance. However, when the landscape of the locale is taken in a bit you start to notice a variety beautifully strange and surreal juxtpositions that exist in Marfa's architecture. Ballroom Marfa's Art Deco facade jumps at you with eye grabbing attention amongst its surroundings. The name of the space may also throw you for a loop as well, considering it's an exhibition space for Contemporary Art. The show that was on view during my visit was Immaterial, a group that consisted of work ranging from New Sculpture to Photography. The Director and staff of the space were very friendly as well, considering they let me view the show on one of the days it was closed which is Mon., and Tues. so be prepared when you visit. Ballroom Marfa has also commissioned pieces that dot the surrounding horizon, Prada Marfa is the flagship piece that was funded by the space. The piece is about 40 miles northeast of the town and is a surreal WONDER along the flat and desolate expanse of highway 90.

Who knew Marfa, Texas had great art!?! Thankfully Ballroom Marfa was just one of the places that had an art exhibit that matched other fine galleries for contemporary art. Maybe I enjoyed it so much because I was not expecting it. Honestly though, the displays were great, the building itself was perfect, and the staff at the gallery were fantastic- which is not always the case at a fine art gallery in other areas. Oh free to get in

Not much to say.. it was so much less then what I was hoping for. I can appreciate many forms but this in my opinion was lacking

Beautiful space. Innovative Exhibits. Very friendly staff. Great, fun stuff for purchase. More than that though, the Ballroom is a symbol of the art culture in Marfa. It's a converted hanger, painted bright white with an outside, rock courtyard and it's list of supporters is impressive and a mile long. They take great care in their installations and it rotates frequently, which is surprising considering their remote location. The Ballroom is a must-see in Marfa

Just to be clear on Monday and Tuesday Marfa kinda shuts down. Strange but true. Not realizing this I planned to visit Marfa on Monday and Tuesday and was so disappointed when I found out. But the wonderful guys at Ballroom were kind enough to let me come in and see the current show along with see the poster collection. Ballroom does a ton of different stuff in Marfa from music to art.

Beautiful space. Be sure to note their hours, and they are limited (as are more galleries and businesses in Marfa).