Celebrating Spiral Jetty

Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) is a monumental work of Land art and a twentieth-century masterpiece. People travel from around the world to see it, but those of us who live nearby have a unique relationship to it. This year marks the artwork’s fiftieth birthday, and the UMFA is honoring our community’s special connection by collecting your stories from throughout the years to reflect on the many ways that visitors have interacted with the artwork. To kick things off, here’s a memory from UMFA executive director Gretchen Dietrich about her first visit:

When my husband, infant son, and I moved to Salt Lake City in 2003, I knew very little about our new home. But as lifelong art lovers and art professionals, we knew a lot about Spiral Jetty, the monumental earthwork artist Robert Smithson created off the north shore of Great Salt Lake. We went to see it right away. The day was hot, and the wide-open spaces of Utah were new to me. Back then the road was still rough, so we crept along in our old Honda as far as we dared, and then walked the last quarter mile or so. Spiral Jetty, underwater for many years since its creation in 1970, had only recently emerged, and our first glimpse astonished us: its black basalt rocks were completely encased in glimmering white salt, and the entire artwork literally glowed. It was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time—a perfect metaphor for our new life in Utah, which seemed so foreign and yet so beautiful and full of possibility.

Show, tell, and write us all about your most memorable Spiral Jetty experiences to help us build a community collection!

The UMFA has also prepared several exhibitions about Land art to commemorate this iconic work. An exhibition interactive in 50 Years of Spiral Jetty | Smithson and Gorgoni asks visitors to share their thoughts regarding Spiral Jetty as it relates to the passing of time. Here are just a few examples:

A pink slip that reads: What will Spiral Jetty say to you in the future?
Below it a hand written response: Please never let the water run... now is the future

A red notecard with "Spiral Jetty was..." written at the top. A spiral doodle is hand-drawn below.

A red notecard with "Spiral Jetty was..." written at the top. Abstract geometric shapes are drawn below.

A pink card with "What does Spiral Jetty says to you now?" written at the top. "A place to dream" is handwritten below.

A pink slip that reads: What will Spiral Jetty say to you in the future?
Below it a hand written response: hey bro, we should catch up sometime. I know I've changed, but so have you.

A pink card with "Spiral Jetty will be..." written at the top. Below is a hand drawing of a city with tall buildings on top of the spiral land art.

A pink slip that reads: What will Spiral Jetty say to you in the future?
Below it a hand written response: Remain as is. There is a swoop and a small flower drawn underneath.

A red notecard with "Spiral Jetty was..." written at the top. A spiralling circular scribble is drawn below.

A pink card with "What does Spiral Jetty says to you now?" written at the top. "As time goes the every evolving landscape nature seeks to return but continually evolve. Nature can be very scary but beautiful" is written below.

A pink card with "Spiral Jetty will be" written at the top. An abstract graffiti like shape is drawn below.

"Spiral Jetty was..." is typed at the top of a red notecard. "50 years ago" is handwritten below with a simple drawing of the sun behind mountains.

A pink card with "Sprial Jetty will be" written at the top. An X is drawn below labeled "Decomposed)

A red note card with "What did Spiral Jetty say to you in the past?" typed at the top. A handwritten response reads "it was bright and vibrant".

A pink note card that reads "Spiral Jetty is" with a drawing of a stick figure woman, a dog and a spiral shape.

A note that reads:
Spiral Jetty will be a feature in a salt flat. I hope it outlives me.

A note that reads: What will Spiral Jetty say to you in the future? The existence of humanity.

While the Museum has had to temporarily close our doors, we are always looking for ways to connect you to great art. Find more opportunities to share art experiences on our Find more opportunities to share art experiences on our Instagram.