A ‘Giant’ Piece of Work

Along U.S. Highway 90, as you travel west on the unassuming stretch of road between the tiny towns of Marfa and Valentine, Texas, the as-far-as-the-eye-can-see horizon is interrupted by an out-of-nowhere art installation of Giant that is giant.

James Dean with a shotgun. A leaning Liz Taylor. Rock Hudson in a convertible. The iconic Big House from the movie set, complete with actors, cameras, and directors. The free-standing works (like a mural without a wall), give the appearance that the enormous depictions emerged right out of the ground.

Oh yeah -- and there is music. Playing from incognito speakers disguised as rocks.

It’s a little “roadside kitsch”, but hey, Giant put Marfa on the roadmap, so it’s kind of appropriate that Marfa put Giant on the road.

The pieces were created by artist John Cerney in his California studios before they were transported to the Little Reata Division of the Wyatt Ranches, and installed in October 2018. The art installation is a donation to the community by Cerney, who worked closely with the Marfa Chamber of Commerce, and Lynn Wyatt, the matriarch of the Wyatt family, in the coordination and implementation of the cutout scene titled “Giant Marfa”. The roadside artwork is intended to remain indefinitely. If you do take the drive to check it out, glance over to your right, and you’ll see the iconic ranch sign and the original windmill James Dean climbed in the movie!