“Art in Context: Art, Architecture, and the Middle Landscape” is the latest in a series of symposia co-presented by The Chinati Foundation and the Rice School of Architecture. Since 1995, Chinati has organized six symposia—each one focused on a particular aspect of the museum’s mission or collection and documented in an accompanying publication that includes essays and edited transcriptions of conversations. Troy Schaum, associate professor at the Rice School of Architecture and principal at Schaum Architects; Caitlin Murray, Executive Director of The Chinati Foundation; and Stephen Martin, Director of Preservation and Planning at The Chinati Foundation; are orchestrating the symposia.
Part II expands on the conversations from our April symposium in Marfa. Through lectures and discussions, participants will examine the relationship between art, architecture, and land as experienced at the Chinati Foundation—considering site and land, Donald Judd’s influence on museum architecture today, including in Houston, and the varied contexts of art and architecture as shaped by place, culture, and history.
The symposium coincides with a related exhibition, Art in Context, presented as part of Exhibitions at Rice, on view in the Hines Family Gallery and the Casbarian-Appel Gallery within William T. Cannady Hall at the Rice School of Architecture from November 7, 2025, through February 7, 2026.
The full schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. Speakers include: Tei Carpenter, Ludovico Centis, Sofia von Ellrichshausen, Katharina Grosse, Rick Lowe, Igor Marjanović, Stephen Martin, Caitlin Murray, Kate Newby, Piet Oudolf, Julian Rose, Troy Schaum, Annabelle Selldorf, and Jesús Vassallo.
Generous support has been provided by Bob and Nora Ackerley, Lee and Mike Cohn, Lori and Alexandre Chemla, Rice Office of Research – Creative Ventures, and the city of Marfa, Texas.