Have you ever been to Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (north end of Great Salt Lake)? Do you know that it’s an internationally acclaimed work of land art? Yes, historically significant works of art like the Jetty surround us in Utah and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts is on a mission to raise awareness of these pieces and introduce them to the people who live here. The effort garnered the Utah Museum Association’s 2015 Award for Excellence in Programming.
Together with the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College and New York-based Dia Art Foundation, the UMFA has been guiding tours to the Jetty, distributing informational material and generally deepening the visitors’ experience. Keep an eye out for the museum’s upcoming 2016 program ARTLandish: Land art, Landscape, and the Environment, a year-long initiative that will explore other significant land art features in Utah through lectures, films and tours. During the closure of the UMFA building, these programs will primarily occur at Gould auditorium at Marriott Library, starting Feb. 25 with Land Art Films.