Art lovers rally to save Spiral Jetty from oil drilling
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008 | 3:34 PM ET
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Spiral Jetty, a huge work by U.S. artist Robert Smithson that extends out into Utah's Great Salt Lake, is threatened by an oil company's plans to explore in the area.
The Dia Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving artworks, is mounting a campaign to save Spiral Jetty, which could be hurt by blasting and ground vibrations if the exploration goes ahead.
Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, a 457-metre coil extending into Great Salt Lake, can be seen from Rozel Point in Utah. He created the work in 1970.
(Gianfranco Gorgoni/Dia Art Foundation)
Oil firm Pearl Montana Exploration & Production has an application before the state to explore under Great Salt Lake.
Smithson, an American artist famous for his "land art," died in a plane crash in 1973.
Spiral Jetty is one of his most famous pieces and draws thousands of visitors to Golden Spike National Monument park.
Created in 1970 of basalt rock and earth, it is a 457-metre coil that extends into Great Salt Lake. It is a pioneering and highly recognized work of large-scale land art.
"The expansive natural setting is integral to Smithson's artwork, providing an essential frame for experiencing the Spiral Jetty," Jeffrey Weiss, director of the Dia Art Foundation, said in a statement released Wednesday.
"Any incursion on the open landscape, including the proposed drilling, would significantly compromise this important work of art."
Smithson's estate bequeathed Spiral Jetty to the Dia Foundation in 1999 with a mandate to oversee long-term preservation of the work.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Smithson's widow have joined the campaign against oil exploration under the lake.
The concern is that trucks passing on a nearby road would disturb the sculpture and drilling in the lake would lead to water contamination.
The sight of oil drilling less than eight kilometres away would spoil the experience of art lovers who visit the site, the foundation said.
It is urging art lovers to write to the Utah government to ask it not to grant approval for drilling.
On Tuesday, state officials were reporting they received more than 600 letters and e-mails on the issue.
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