MARFA — When Ballroom Marfa couldn’t host their annual gala in person or online, artist Loie Hollowell stepped up by donating a piece of art to fundraise for the local art institution. The successful sale of 30 prints not only supported the mission of the local art institution, but also sent $45,000 of funds to four local food pantries and the Marfa Nutrition Center.
Hollowell, who had shown her work in Ballroom’s After Effect in 2016, worked with Curator at Large Laura Copelin to pick the artwork, entitled “Milk Fountain.” For the artist, it was important that part of the contribution be used for the community. While she initially hoped to support women’s health organizations, she soon realized the growing food insecurity in the region and jumped at the chance to donate to that cause.
Ballroom Marfa was able to give money to Marfa Food Pantry, Marfa Nutrition Center, West Texas Food Bank, Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County and Food Pantry of Alpine. The other portion of the funds will support Ballroom’s continued work in commissioning unique pieces of art from artists near and far.
Ballroom Curator Daisy Nam said that after the winter storm, she was surprised by how fragile the infrastructure felt, but also by how the community pulled together. “People banded together, checked in on each other, those who had food and warmth tried to share, and that really encouraged us to expedite Loie’s contribution,” Nam said.
The donation from Ballroom is already being put to good use, underwriting a part-time paid position for the Marfa Food Pantry and helping the Marfa Nutrition Center repair a broken fridge.
Hollowell’s work explores “bodily landscapes and sacred iconography, using geometric shapes to move a figure or its actions into abstraction.” “Milk Fountain” was printed in an edition of 30, which sold out quickly, Nam said.
“Ideas of motherhood have been present in her mind and practice, especially during the pandemic,” Nam explained. When the recipients shifted to local food pantries, “Milk Fountain” became all the more apropos. “We all as children need milk and this is just one way of sharing that kind of sustenance,” Nam said.
Nam said that while speaking with the West Texas Food Bank in Odessa, it was hard to explain the contemporary art that led to the donation, but “we had this tender moment of, ‘This work is really rooted in feminism,’ and the woman said, ‘I don’t know about this artist’s work, but what’s a more feminist thing to do than feed children and families.’”
