Next, the tour will visit the ancient city of Troy and the Pergamum acropolis, and also the less-trodden destination of Ayvalık, a small town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey. After several days of immersion in the ancient world, the group will pay a visit to the second International Izmir Art Biennial, one of the largest international art events in the country that will include more than three hundred artists; Seba Uğurtan, the biennial’s founder, will give tour participants an exclusive overview of the exhibition.

The Art of Turkey Tour will also provide CAA members with time for rest and relaxation. It will stop at the port city of Ephesus to visit a carpet school, along with an overnight stay at a spa hotel at the Pamukkale hot springs. The trip will conclude with a full day in Cappadocia, where travelers will explore the Goreme Open Air Museum, a vast collection of painted cave-churches dating from 1000 AD.

Getting There: Turkish Airlines provides nonstop, direct flights from the United States and Canada, leaving from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Toronto.

Land and Air Rates: $4,090 per person for a double room; $4,880 per person for a single room.

The Art of Turkey Tour features include:

• International flight from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, or Toronto
• Thirteen nights in superior hotels
• Meals (thirteen dinners, four lunches, daily breakfasts)
• All entry fees to museums and sites, including the Izmir Art Biennial
• Transportation and tour guide
• Hot-air balloon flight and a whirling-dervishes ceremony in Cappadocia

For a day-by-day tour itinerary, please download and review the Art of Turkey brochure.

Marfa is home to the Chinati Foundation, a contemporary art museum based on the ideas of its founder, Donald Judd, whose intention was to preserve permanent large-scale installations by a limited number of artists and present them to the public. Also in Marfa is the Judd Foundation, founded by the artist to preserve and maintain his living and working spaces, libraries, and archives. The trip’s itinerary includes visits to both foundations and to local bookstores, cultural spaces, and galleries, including Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset’s Prada Marfa. Participants will also have plenty of time to wind down and enjoy the local fare.

Participants will fly to El Paso International Airport (at their own expense) and then travel to Marfa in private vans. The Hotel Paisano will provide the accommodations. For complete details on the trip, please download the registration form or visit the Appraisers Association of America website. A nonrefundable deposit of $200 is due by Friday, September 23, 2011; the remaining balance is due by Monday, October 3, 2011.

Image: Marfa, Texas (photograph by Tex Toler and provided by VisitMarfa.com)