Did you know that Utah is home to one of the most important works of contemporary art...and that it's located in the Great Salt Lake? In 1970, contemporary artist Robert Smithson created an earthwork off the shore of the Great Salt Lake entitled
Spiral Jetty. Spiral Jetty is . Throughout the years since Smithson created Spiral Jetty, the jetty has experienced periods of drought and flooding, where the work is subject to nature, as is the whole point of earthwork, or land art, as it is sometimes called. For several years, the artwork was completely underwater, but, in the early 2000s, the state experienced a severe drought and the artwork was visible and visitable again. Spiral Jetty is made of mud, salt, and basalt rocks, forming a 1,500-foot-long sprial off the northeastern coast of the Great Salt Lake. Smithson was drawn to this site because of the unique color of the water of the lake due to the extreme saltiness, as well as the stark, barren landscape that provided a unique beauty. A local construction worker, Bob Phillips, was hired to actually move the dirt and rocks into place, as directed by Smithson. The project took a total of about eight days to complete. Earthwork An earthwork is artwork created out in nature, usually with the materials of nature surrounding the artwork, such as rocks, dirt, and plants. This art movement emerged in 1960s, with Robert Smithson as the movement's most famous artist. Though Spiral Jetty is one of the most famous earthworks, other famous works include James Turrell's Roden Crater in Arizona and Michael Heizer's Double Negative in Nevada. Robert Smithson Visiting Spiral Jetty Spiral Jetty is approximately 2 1/2 hours away from Provo, Utah, and about 1 1/2 hours from Salt Lake City, Utah. Located in a remote part of the state, it is recommended that visitors have enough water and fuel, as there are no services for the last several miles to the artwork. For directions to Spiral Jetty, please click here. Sprial Jetty was named the Official State Work of Art in 2017.