Second Fez International Artists Gathering Explores Art's Role In Times of Crisis

The 2017 gathering from January 12-14 in Fez, Morocco includes a group exhibition and conference panels exploring more typical topics like 'photography and documentary films' or 'art in education' but also a more timely one like 'art, islam, and extremism'. 

Pascual Jordan, of Werkstatt Galerie in Berlin, and photographer Evi Blink, who participated in last year’s edition as a panelist, after undertaking a photographic research project on Moroccan women, will curate the group exhibition. The duo work closely with Omar Chennafi, founder of the event.

The 14 artists come from Morocco, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the US, each of them dealing with themes of political or personal crisis in their work. The curators explain: "We open this exhibition for an existential discourse about identity, poverty, war, freedom, and art." via ArtNet

Trump Honored In China As Gilded, Giant Rooster Statue; Will A Golden Goose Statue Come To Wall Street?

We don't follow Donald Trump on Twitter, so there's no word on whether or not the president-elect believes that the giant rooster sculpture outside a shopping mall in Taiyuan, China accurately captures all his self-perceived grandeur. The 23-ft statue celebrates the upcoming Year of the Rooster in the Chinese lunar calendar.

Everyday Chinese citizens believe that the Trump rooster helps to lighten up tensions between China and America, as expressed at major rallies by Donald Trump throughout the presidential campaign.

The New York Times writes:

Global Times, a state-run tabloid, said on Tuesday that onlookers in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, had praised the statue as a “perfect blend of Chinese and Western cultures.”

“It’s not bad looking,” Zhang Guoqiang, an employee at the Yihui Japanese Restaurant at the North America N1 Art Shopping Center, where the statue is, said by telephone on Thursday.

The always-entrepreneurial Chinese have inflatable 'Trump chicken' replicas on sale at online shaopping website Taobao. The 32-foot version is advertised for $1,725.

Artist Casey Latiolais, based in Seattle, says the response to his artwork has been outstanding. We share another Trump gem from Casey's Behance page.

British Art Scene Will Highlight Gay History in 2017 | NYC Second Ave Subway Unveils First Permanent, Apolitical LGBTQ Mural

David Hockney, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)(1972). Photo: courtesy David Hockney.

Britain Plans A Year of LGBTQ Art Celebrations

ArtNet: British Institutions Will Highlight Gay History in 2017 Read on.

British institutions including  British Museum, the Red House, the Walker in Liverpool, the Russell-Cotes museum and gallery, and more are marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalized gay relationships between men over 21.

The 1967 act amended the law of England and Wales regarding homosexual activity, with Scotland following suit in 1980, and Northern Ireland in 1982.

One of the largest exhibitions will be the Tate Britain's April 2017 'Queer British Art 1861-1967', featuring a full-length portrait of British icon Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned for his sexuality.

NYC's First Gay Mural

Artist Vik Muniz told the AP that he chose to include New York married couple Thor Stockman and Patrick Kellogg in his new Second Ave Subway mural project because 'Perfect Strangers' represents "just the people you would expect to see" riding the city's subway.

The new Second Ave subway opens on New Year's Day.

ArtNet: The 10 Best Stories on Art and Politics of 2016

ArtNet: The 10 Best Stories on Art and Politics of 2016 Read On

Are artists increasingly irrelevant in the age of Trump? Or are they needed more than ever? What does the art world have to do as it faces the global growth of nationalism and votes like Brexit? Did Ai Weiwei nit a new low by "crassly recreating a photo of the infamous drowned Syrian boy toddler? What did the 'Panama papers' teach us about "art's role in the lives of the tax-dodging superrich? ArtNet weighs in with their best thinking. 

Tributes Continue For The Remarkable Editrix Franca Sozzani | Steven Meisel's 2005 'Hollywood Life'

The tributes to Vogue Italia Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani, who died of lung cancer last Thursday. continue to resonate. W's Stefano Tonchi shares his thoughts on the truly remarkable Sozzani.

Franca was assertive, with a directness that was born of the strength of her convictions. She was loud and clear when she talked; you didn’t second-guess her. She did not tolerate bullshit, but she loved to listen to ideas. She was also very good at managing talented photographers and stylists—which is both an incredible honor and incredibly frustrating—to allow them to do their best work. Italian Vogue had a tradition of working with important photographers like Helmut Newton, but there was always this sense of control. When she got there, she let the photographers take over.

The many admirers of France Sozzani have references her most notorious editorials and issues devoted to a single message. I wrote at length about America's PC fashionistas and self-appointed culture critics who were besides themselves with ire over Meisel's 'Water & Oil' editorial that put fashion within the values context of the BP oil spill. Simply stated, the Americanas couldn't get beyond step one of taking the editorial literally. I imagine France Sozzani took a deep sigh over that fiasco, when the editorial so concretely and without ambiguity was focused on environmentalism and a commentary on the irrelevance of fashion in a world where nature is suffocating in tar sands. .

Related: Remembering Franca Sozzani: A Worldview That Mattered by Vanessa Friedman of New York Times

Another major fashion adventure between Franca Sozzani and Steven Meisel was Linda Evangelista's 'Hollywood Life', published in 2005 as a social commentary on the need to be a woman with a young face in Hollywood. As always Sozzani was daring in her willingness to pursue ugliness (the procedures) in an American-values world that celebrates California girl youth and perfection. Sozzani was far more captivated by personality and presence, than beauty.

Linda Evangelista By Steven Meisel In 'Hollywood Life' For Vogue Italia July 2005 AOC Body Beat

George Michaels' 'Freedom': Christy, Cindy, Linda, Naomi and Tatjana Reflect On Making The Video

Christy, Linda, Naomi, Cindy & Tatjana by Peter Lindbergh for Vogue Australia As 'Supernova'

Last year celebrated the 25th anniversary of George Michael's 1990 music video 'Freedom!', an anthem for women, LGBTQ people, women and men of color, and hundreds of kindred spirits everywhere who were trying to establish their own identities against the patriarchal, monotheistic, global norms confining us in their medicine-bottle vision of appropriate behaviors and self-identiites. 

George Michaels threw a sledge hammer into that power structure metaphorically -- if not actually -- with his 'Freedom' video and lyrics. As The Republican War on Women and many more -- based on its Godly, male-centric vision for America -- rolls into Washington, led by their new God Donald Trump --  we revisit 'Freedom' a day after progressive spirits are crushed by the death of George Michaels at 53.  In a year when we've lost some of our best -- Bowie, and Prince come to mind, and now Michaels, our loss isn't only about talent but rather critical messaging and philosophy. 

Last year, Harper's Bazaar asked the fabulous 5 -- Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz -- who made the 'Freedom' video to reflect back on that day. 

Naomi Campbell

"I came to the set on the first day they were shooting. On my god, it was crazy! It was during the fashion collections, so I came straight from Paris, and I'd done 4 or 5 shows the day before and we finished at 2 o'clock in the morning. They didn't have the Eurostar then, so I took the 6 o'clock train to London and then went to the airport. I didn't sleep -- I went from the plane to the shower to the set. I was up all night working to work all night again! But it was great. I love George Michael, and I love all the girls who were in it, and the director, David Fincher, is a great filmmaker."

Tatjana Patitz

"All the models and I knew George Michael -- I think I had done a photo shoot with him at some point before. His manager contacted my agent to see if I could do the video. George wasn't in it -- he wasn't even on the set when I was there. David Fincher directed it, which was so exciting even then because he had already done one of Madonna's. 

Linda Evangelista

"25 years later, this video -- and not my magazine covers -- is what people mention the most when they approach me on the street. It's pretty incredible."

Christy Turlington

"It was a whirlwind. I flew in from LA and drove straight to the set, so I was pretty delirious. Each of us filmed for a day on our own, except Linda and I overlapped on the last day because we had a scene together. They were long days. I don't recall any specific direction from David Fincher. He was focused on the lighting I recall. George was there the whole time."

Cindy Crawford

"I remember them sending me a Walkman so I could learn the words before I got to set. The studio was huge and dark and smoky. Someone explained to me that my first shot would be in a bathtub. They oiled me up and put me in an empty tub with a smoke machine to look like steam. I had to sit on an apple crate because you couldn't see me over the edge of the tub. My second shot was sitting on a chair with a towel on my head, and I kept thinking my part wasn't going to be that sexy. I watched the video recently, as I wanted to write about the whole supermodel phenomenon in my new book, 'Becoming', and my kids were like, "Hey, we know that song!" I think it stands the test of time and still looks amazing today. I like how David Fincher saw something different in each of us and tried to bring that out in the video."

Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

Revisiting 'Water & Oil': One of Franca Sozzani & Steven Meisel's Most Provocative Collaborations

The fashion world is grieving the death of Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Italia. Sozzani created the most activist and in-your-face political statements in Vogue Italia.  Not all fashionistas appreciated her activist voice. Sozzani's infamous Italian Vogue editorial 'Water & Oil', September 2010 photographed by Steven Meisel is among her most controversial. Sozzani was making a political statement about the BP oil spill.

In honor of Franca Sozzani, we republish that editorial featuring Kristen McMenamy in much-expanded image sizes but with the original commentary. In moving AOC from Squarespace V5 to V7 a year ago, none of the comments transferred with the original articles. But I recall that the arguments were fierce! ~ Anne

{Written Aug. 7, 2010}: "Italian Vogue’s Kristen McMenamy oil-spill environmental disaster photos have created a firestorm of controversy about the motives of the magazine and whether or not the fashion shoot is in ‘poor taste’.

I’ve read endless comments from presumably American readers, and they are generally negative about the Italian Vogue Sept 2010 BP oil spill photos.

Comments are that the photos are tasteless, trivialize the events in the gulf to the point of mockery and represent a big-businesses attempt to exploit the tragedy. In the case of Italian Vogue and Kristen McMenamy, the big-business bad guy is Conde Nast, not BP.

From my perspective, I fail to see how these photos glamorize the BP Gulf oil disaster. They are disturbing, provocative and dreadfully ugly." Read on. 

Global Antiquities Heavyweight Dealer Nancy Wiener Arrested In Manhattan

Wiener is also accused of having items—like a $500,000 bronze Buddha—restored to conceal signs of illegal excavations, like shovel marks. The aforementioned Buddha was seized in a March 2016 raid on her gallery, while affixed with a selling price of $1.5 million.

Prominent antiquities dealer Nancy Wiener was arrested in Manhattan on December 21 and charged with possessing stolen property in the form of looted antiquities from East Asis since at least 1999. Wiener is accused of destroying documents about the pedigree and purchase route of stolen objects she delivered to Christie's and Sotheby's as well as private collectors and institutions. She is charged with knowingly creating false paperwork.

ArtNet writes: that the arrest "comes as part of the US federal investigation Operation Hidden Idol, which has been tracking down antiquities smuggled into the country by the New York dealer Subhash Kapoor. Kapoor is currently on trial in Chennai, India, for allegedly heading a $100 million international smuggling ring, bringing 2,622 stolen objects to the US. Wiener was allegedly in possession of some of Kapoor’s stolen Indian antiquities."

One must also wonder about the hush-hush complicity of Sotheby's and Christies in facilitating her 'presitigious' alleged antiquities looting operation. ~ Anne

'Influencer' Amy Sall Sees No Place For Silent Mouths On Politics & The American Experience

Unlike many fashion 'infuencers', Amy Sall who has appeared in fashion campaigns for J Crew and Kenzo x H&M, uses her social media cache to promote social justice issues like advocating for African youth and the African diaspora. Sall is also the editor and founder of a journal of African Affairs, SUNU.

"I just think that we are in a time where you cannot be idle," Sall tells Christene Barberich, global editor-in-chief and cofounder of Refinery 29, in the latest episode of UnStyled. "You can't be a bystander. You can't be passive. What I noticed on certain social media accounts is that people tried to address some of the issues that we've been facing, but in a way that was almost performative. That, to me, is almost worse than just not saying anything at all. And you continue to post your vacation... People are being shot and killed in the streets. And to respond in a way that just seems like, I don't know, packaged, it doesn't feel right. It doesn't sit well with me."

Sall's Instagram feed is divine. Rich in beauty and intelligent thinking. One of the best I've seen. ~ Anne

'Nasty Woman' T-Shirt Raises Over $100,000 In Trump's Name For Planned Parenthood

As the Donald Trump Administration launches its full-frontal assault on American women (you know, grab 'em by our pu#sies so we know who is boss), Katy Perry steps up to the plate reminding us that 'nasty women' get shit done.

After Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a 'nasty woman' during October's third presidential debate, the Internet and Twitter immediately claimed the term as a rallying call for women worldwide. The Cut reports that even today, the 'Nasty Woman' merchandise is flying off shelves shows no sign of slowing down.

The most successful item to date is Google Ghost's 'Nasty Woman' t-shirt, which donates half of proceeds from shirt revenue directly to Planned Parenthood and in Trump's name. The donation to date is $100,165 for Planned Parenthood.

If you are ready to rally for 'Nasty Women' worldwide, join us at the Washington DC Women's March on January 21 or at marches in your local community. See Women's March on Washington FB page.

Related: With regard to top Hillary supporter Lena Dunham's 'Distasteful Joke' about abortion, we can only say: with friends like her, who needs enemies. Thanks Lena for fueling every dirty, rotten image of feminism worldwide. Talk about East Coast, liberal narcissism that damages dirt poor women in Texas. Just yesterday, Texas -- which lost its big case to derail abortion and contraception rights in Texas -- moved again to block Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood for any reason.

Barbara Jatta Appointed First Female Director of Vatican Museums

Pope Francis' Tuesday announcement that art historian Barbara Jatta will become the new director of the Vatican Museums, marking the first time that a woman will lead one of the most important art institutions worldwide. Previously, Jatta worked at the Vatican Library, overseeing its collection of prints.

A Rome native, Jatta has worked for the Vatican since 1996 and will now become one of its most powerful administrators. While Pope Francis wants to increase the roles for women in the Catholic Church, he remains firm that the most important Vatican posts are reserved for cardinals and bishops, who are universally male. 

The Vatican Museums represent 54 galleries acrross seven kilometers, receiving six million visitors in 2015. Regularly listed among the top 10 visited museums in the world, the Vatican museums represent one of the Holy See's biggest income sources. Estimates are about $311 million in gross revenues and $41 million in profits are driven by Barbara Jatta's new assignment.

American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland Returns To Cuba As Cultural Ambassador

“It’s a great honor to be here,” Misty Copeland, the first Afro-American ballerina of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), said in the venue of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC). Copeland joined a group of U.S. personalities of culture, sports and the performing arts for a mid-November 2016 arrival in Cuba, after the renewal of diplomatic relations between both nations.

Misty Copeland is not the first figure of the ABT to come to the island, where cultural exchanges have been permitted for years. She was preceded by Cynthia Gregory, Ted Kivitt, Eleonor D’Antuono, Cynthia Harvey and other dancers. On Cuba reports on the decades long collaboration between American Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Cuba.

Misty Copeland Covers Self December 2017

Misty Copeland Is 'Misty On Pointe' As Self Magazine Prepares To Close Its Print Publication AOC Body

Misty Copeland Is 'Misty On Pointe' in Self Magazine's December issue. Self's February 2017 issue represents the last print issue of the women's health, wellness and fitness publication. With the exception of special issues devoted to core topics important to readers, Self will move to a strictly digital platform, facing the reality that its print advertising pages were down 32% through October.

Related: Misty Copeland Is Promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre in AOC Women In-Depth -- includes 60 Minutes Interview and multiple Copeland articles.

Read Misty Copeland's interview with Self.

AOC in Cuba

IMF's Christine Lagarde Found Guilty In French Negligence Case | No Fine Or Jail Time

IMF's Christine Lagarde Found Guilty In French Negligence Case | No Fine Or Jail Time

Even the prosecutor in the case against International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde described it as a weak one seriously lacking in evidence that Lagarde misused public funds as France's finance minister. Jean-Claude Marin wanted judges last Thursday that they were treading a fine line between the law and politics, being guilty themselves of confusing 'criminal negligence' with 'making a bad political decision'.

Nevertheless, Lagarde, who was formerly France's finance minister, was gound guilty of negligence, with no penalties. 

Gerry Rice, a spokesperson for the Washington-based IMF said the fund's executive board would meet later on Monday to consider options. The IMF is currently under scrutiny for its role in the Greek bailout and is deeply concerned about its future in a Donald Trump administration.

The New York Times writes that Lagarde's departure from the fund is considered unlikely, as the executive board has stood firmly behind her.

Updated: IMF Chief Christine Lagarde Will Keep Her Job Despite Conviction Fortune

Jennifer Lawrence Talks Clinton Politics & America's Future On Good Morning America

Jennifer Lawrence Is Lensed by Ben Hassett In 'Extra Terrestre' For Yo Dona December 2016

Top actor Jennifer Lawrence spoke out Monday morning about her post Trump-election mindset. "I didn't mean to speak to only people who voted for Hillary ," Lawrence told Micael Strahan on 'Good Morning America.' "I meant to just speak to the divide . . . for any presidential candidate, being very extreme is scary, left or right."

The 'Passengers' actor made headlines post-November election, when she penned an essay for Broadly Don't Be Afraid, Be Loud: Jennifer Lawrence on What We Do Next.

Do not let this defeat you--let this enrage you!

Bagging Big Party, Father Honors Daughter's Wedding With Houses for India's Homeless

A wealthy Indian businessman had intended to celebrate his daughter's wedding with an extravagant party for which he had saved for years. But then a better idea came to fruition.

Instead of paying for the marriage ceremony, Ajay Munot, a cloth and wheat trader based in the Aurangabad district of eastern India, spent the Rs 7 million to 8 million he had saved for the wedding on building homes for the poor, the Free Press Journal reports.

Munot's wedding savings, worth around £93,000, were spent on constructing 90 houses on two acres of land. Each home was 240 square feet, had two windows and doors and had access to filtered drinking water. To insure success, the businessman carefully selected the residents of the new homes under three conditions: they needed to be poor, living in a slum and not suffering from an addiction.

The bride and groom are deeply honored by this long-lasting gift in their honor. via Elle UK

Fin DAC Honors Nicole Wu With Extraordinary 'Resurrection of Angels' Mural In Venice Beach, Ca

Fin DAC Honors Nicole Wu With Extraordinary 'Resurrection of Angels' Mural In Venice Beach, Ca

Politics Daily: Trump & Treason | Did Silicon Valley Create Donald Trump?

Silicon Valley Meets Its Biggest Creation: Donald Trump Vanity Fair

For years, Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park featured a rectangular sign that reflected the ambition and spirit of Mark Zuckerberg and his legions of dedicated employees. It read, in bold, red lettering, “Move Fast and Break Things.” Twitter had a similar poster that hung in its San Francisco office, noting “Let’s Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow.” These mantras aren’t an anomaly in Silicon Valley’s playground-like campuses. Cubicles, hallways, cafeterias, and meeting rooms are festooned with Rockne-esque white-board-style slogans such as “Done Is Better Than Perfect” or “Fortune Favors the Bold,” or “Don’t Bury Your Failures, Let Them Inspire You.”

These maxims have their value, and they have helped inspire a wealth-generation machine unlike any other in human history. But moving too fast can come with consequences, especially when the mantra is heeded by young people who are often still in their 20s and 30s. In fact, the tech industry’s adherence to an ideology of rapid acceleration helps explain why America finds itself in its current predicament, with hackers reportedly involved in swaying our election and a growing acceptance of xenophobia spreading across the nation. Perhaps many of the people who convened at Trump Tower were so focused on those mottos that they did not realize an outcome they might create.

Donald Trump raises specter of treason The Boston Globe

In a damning op-ed John Shattuck lays out the particulars of a treasonous act against the American government and Trump's refusal to buy into the conclusions of America's intelligence agencies that Russia interfered with the American election.

The federal crime of treason is committed by a person “owing allegiance to the United States who . . . adheres to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort,” and misprision of treason is committed by a person “having knowledge of the commission of any treason [who] conceals and does not disclose” the crime. By denigrating or seeking to prevent an investigation of the Russian cyberattack Trump is giving aid or comfort to an enemy of the United States, a crime that is enhanced if the fourth explanation applies — that he is in fact seeking to cover up his staff’s or his own involvement in or prior knowledge of the attack.

ExxonMobil helped defeat Russia sanctions bill Politico

ExxonMobil successfully lobbied against the STAND for Ukraine Act, a bill that would have converted into law for five years President Obama's punishing measures against Russia for annexing Crimea. With the Senate refusing to act on the bill, proposed Secy of State Rex Tillerson is posed to roll back sanctions and relaunch a deal he made with Russia that is worth a staggering amount of money to ExxonMobile and Putin himself.

More reading:

Donald Trump and the Rise of Alt-Reality Media Politico Magazine

The Donald Trump Appointment Tracker Marie Claire

Diversity Gets Major Uplift On US Fashion Magazine Covers Reports Fashionista

Fashionista beat me to the topic of diversity on US magazine covers. I was about to praise Vogue US for featuring women of color three months in a row -- November 2016-January 2017.

Fashionista has tracked diversity on magazine covers in-depth for several years, and finally we are celebrating some progress.

This time last year, we reported a disappointing statistic: That diversity on the covers of 10 leading U.S. fashion publications — Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Nylon, Teen Vogue, Vogue and W — did not improve in 2015 from 2014. In 2015, 27 of 136 covers featured people of color* while the year before, 27 of 137 did. It was an improvement, technically, but only from 19.7 percent to 19.8 percent. 

In 2016, however, there have been sizable lifts in cover star diversity across the board. For consistency's sake, we reviewed the covers from the same titles we looked at in 2015 — all 147 of them. And we found that 53 of 147 covers — or 36 percent — starred people of color*, as compared to 2015's 19.8 percent. That's a 16.9 percent rise.

AOC gives Vogue US a sound round of applause for featuring three inspiring women of color in a row: Lupita Nyong'o, Michelle Obama and 'Loving' star and Golden Globe nominee Ruth Negga. See their editorials, covers and interviews.

Vogue US January 2017: Ruth Negga

Interview and Editorial

Vogue US December 2016: Michelle Obama

Editorial and Anne's commentary about Michelle Obama's mission to educate girls worldwide.

Vogue US November 2016: Lupita Nyong'o

Editorial and Anne's rich rieview of Lupita's trip to Kenya.

Blockbuster House of Dior Exhibit Opens In Melbourne, Australia August 25, 2017

The House of Dior turned to Australia for the first presentation of a complete collection outside of Paris. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia will commemorate the 1948 showing in Sydney, Australia as part of its 2017 exhibition 'The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture.'

The upcoming exhibition, which is has been organized collaboratively by the museum and Christian Dior Couture, is a celebration of the House of Dior’s 70th anniversary. It will feature over 140 designs created between 1947 and today, highlighting the work of its head designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri (the company’s first female creative director, hired in July), not to mention Christian Dior himself, who died suddenly in 1957.

The exhibition will open on August 25, 2017 and run until November 7, 2017.

Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada As We Drop Into Marfa, Texas

Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.

Aline Weber Hangs Out At Prada In Marfa, Tex By Marc Pilaro For ODDA Spaces Issue

When Prada first opened a store in Marfa, Texas, lots of people were incredulous. After all, in 2007, Marfa Texas, population 2,485, went dark. The town was so broke that it couldn't pay its electricity bills, requiring the new mayor to turn off Marfa's streetlights -- every last one. 

"Today, Marfa lights up the sky," wrote City-Journal in a recent article. In 2015 an estimated 38,000 tourists -- mostly art lovers -- traveled from worldwide destination to this West Texas town. More than 45,000 are expected this year. 

Marfa has become more than a place. It is a “destination,” an arts-world station of the cross, or, to mix religious metaphors, a mecca of minimalism. What Lourdes is to ailing Catholics, Marfa is to aficionados of conceptual sculpture and painting. Think Art Basel in Miami, or Documenta in Germany. The temperature here in June can be scorching, but Marfa, in any season, has become supercool. “London, Paris, Rome, Marfa,” boasts a popular T-shirt sold at Squeeze, a tiny deli in the heart of town that specializes in chocolates and fruit and vegetable drinks.

In March 2016, Vogue writer Steff Yotka spent a weekend in Marfa, writing:

Snuggled in a vast expanse of desert, nearly 20 miles from the next town and some 200 from the nearest major airport, the place is the subject of much modern lore—people return awestruck from the tours of the Chinati Foundation, filled with wonder from the desert landscape and starry nights, and amped up on their great Instagram snap in front of Prada Marfa. Needless to say, Marfa has amassed a lot of hype.

GQ toured 7 of the Coolest Homes in Marfa, Texas in their current issue.

Writing about Tom Ford's new Golden Globe nominated film 'Nocturnal Animals', Mr. Porter drops into West Texas, with a stop in Marfa. Actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Amy Adams for Best Actress. Tom Ford received nominations for Best Director of a Motion Picture and Best Screenplay of a Motion Picture.