Spiral Jetty and environs (photo Jeff Jahn)

When The Dia was somehow not allowed to renew the lease last month on the land that one uses to access the Spiral Jetty things got weird. Now things are getting more complicated and Tyler Green has the story.

Here's my take. It is true that water levels do effect the iconic earthwork and yes Smithson built entropy into the work's design. Entropy is part of the piece, but I don't think the Dia Foundation's stewardship of the work should be allowed to enter a similar entropic spiral. I'm unsure if any other organization would understand just how important it is to NOT make site improvements... like a concession stand, more parking and a gift shop. Only the Dia really understands the work well enough and State agencies and other well meaning types should do everything they can to repair this potentially manufactured lapse in the Dia's stewardship. As the single MOST IMPORTANT PIECE in the Dia Foundation's collection I feel like this is a wake up call, despite the fact that owning land art is supercilious but necessary.

Improving the site for tourism like the nearby Golden Spike National Historic Site would be a problem worth fighting tooth and nail over.