Prada Marfa Safe

Prada Marfa is safe: Famed art installation can stay in West Texas

It's been a rough year for Prada Marfa, the famed art installation located on a lone road in West Texas. In September 2013, the Texas Department of Transportation threatened to remove the piece, calling it "outdoor advertising." In the spring, Prada Marfa had another setback when it was vandalized and painted blue overnight. (Vandals have continued to target it.)

But Prada Marfa, tourist destination and beloved star of a Beyonce Instagram, is safe. TXDoT has confirmed to the Associated Press that after a year of negotiations, the art installation will now be classified as a museum and will stay in its current location.

"TxDOT appreciates and values the cultural significance of Prada Marfa, and we are happy to have found a win-win solution that keeps it in its current location," John Barton, the department's deputy executive director told the AP.

The Prada Marfa hubbub began after Playboy installed a 40-foot neon bunny sign that was deemed illegal advertising. In November 2013, the bunny was removed. Under the same rules, Prada Marfa was also classified advertising, despite the fact that it was created by artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, and not actually associated with the renowned fashion house.

The aptly named Save Prada Marfa, which was formed to fight for the piece, claimed victory on its Facebook page, saying, "I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone who supported this important artwork by sharing this page, by making phone calls and writing letters to the good folks at TxDOT."

Prada Marfa was installed in 2005. For nearly a decade, the West Texas installation has been a can't-miss stop for art-loving travelers, Texas road trippers and Marfa-bound tourists.

Prada Marfa is now a museum.

Wikipedia Commons

Prada Marfa is now a museum.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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