Recent industrial development surrounding the Great Salt Lake in Utah has placed the existence of a local piece of artwork at risk. Many questions have arisen about the artifact known as the Spiral Jetty created by artist Robert Smithson. In addition to if and how the Spiral Jetty should be preserved, people have asked if the area that surrounds the Spiral Jetty should be considered a museum.
A museum is defined by the Museum Association as "an institution which collects, documents, preserves, exhibits, and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public benefit" (Pearce 2). The primary purpose of a museum is to preserve natural and cultural artifacts that the public deems to have value. The question that arises is what value does society assign to Spiral Jetty? The popularity of the site has caused many to question the artist's original intentions for the piece and whether the site should be protected.
The difficulty around the issue of conservation arises from the artist's original ideas and intentions about his creation. While alive, Smithson explained that his art, ''takes into account the direct effect of the elements as they exist from day to day'' (Kennedy 1). The piece has changed over time. Salt from the lake has turned the basalt white, and the monument bears marks and graffiti from past visitors. The piece's creator must have known that in time Spiral Jetty would decay into something unrecognizable and eventually fade into nothingness.
Because Spiral Jetty is a single artifact, it cannot be a museum of itself; however, it's owners should preserve the site for future generations without interfering with the artist's original plan to let nature take its effect on his art. The Dia Art Foundation has begun restoring the monument after it re-emerged from the depths of the lake in the past few years. Nevertheless, while conservators are hard at work preserving and documenting Spiral Jetty, it has yet to be declared a museum, national park, or other type of protected site (Kennedy 1-2).
Pearce, SM. "Museums, Objects and Collections." Smithsonian. pp 1-11. 1992
A museum is defined by the Museum Association as "an institution which collects, documents, preserves, exhibits, and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public benefit" (Pearce 2). The primary purpose of a museum is to preserve natural and cultural artifacts that the public deems to have value. The question that arises is what value does society assign to Spiral Jetty? The popularity of the site has caused many to question the artist's original intentions for the piece and whether the site should be protected.
The difficulty around the issue of conservation arises from the artist's original ideas and intentions about his creation. While alive, Smithson explained that his art, ''takes into account the direct effect of the elements as they exist from day to day'' (Kennedy 1). The piece has changed over time. Salt from the lake has turned the basalt white, and the monument bears marks and graffiti from past visitors. The piece's creator must have known that in time Spiral Jetty would decay into something unrecognizable and eventually fade into nothingness.
Because Spiral Jetty is a single artifact, it cannot be a museum of itself; however, it's owners should preserve the site for future generations without interfering with the artist's original plan to let nature take its effect on his art. The Dia Art Foundation has begun restoring the monument after it re-emerged from the depths of the lake in the past few years. Nevertheless, while conservators are hard at work preserving and documenting Spiral Jetty, it has yet to be declared a museum, national park, or other type of protected site (Kennedy 1-2).
Works Cited
Kennedy, Randy. "How to Conserve Art That Lives in a Lake?" New York Times (Nov. 18, 2009). Section C, Column 0, The Arts/Cultural Desk, Pg. 1.Pearce, SM. "Museums, Objects and Collections." Smithsonian. pp 1-11. 1992
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