Tidbits

'llo everybody,

Today Ed Ruscha speaks (sort of) to The Guardian. DIA explains what you have to do to help save Spiral Jetty on their homepage. Hurry, you have to manifest yourself before Feb.13th. It's especially important you get your network involved, moreover if you have friends abroad who can email or send faxes and letter.
In passing, Charlie Finch , I never thought much of you as an art critic*, really but please do a bit of homework before writing your sexist interpretations of the Jetty. It's your interpretation alright, but you're on your own with that one. Also, FYI the Jetty was submerged when Smithson was alive, and he did plan to raise it about 3 meters high permanently to avoid that problem. He died before this could happen, so your insinuations about its own destruction being built-in in the work, if in line with Smithson's writings about entropy, are in fact inaccurate regarding that particular artwork. Sorry if you never had the opportunity to ever get there! Maybe you should hurry and try, that could make you become a real art critic, who knows.
Hey, it gives me an idea! Why don't we all pitch in and send some money to artnet to fly Finch to Spiral Jetty? And Walter Robinson, while we're at it, so maybe there will be finally something real to read on there, rather than only use their clunky auction database?




*Nothing personal really, I don't respect most critics anyway. You're just more openly sexist than most of the others, that's all.

SPIRAL JETTY IN DANGER: ACT NOW!

Saw that post on Tyler Green's MAN right this minute. I'm a bit in a hurry and can only copy and paste Green's text (apologies for blatant appropriation). As you will see in his post, Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty is threatened by oil drillers. Anyway, I've been fortunate to visit Spiral Jetty twice, and whatever Smithson's writing about entropy, etc. I'd like to remind you all this is only one of a handful of original, not-reconstructed, not-recreated Smithson's artworks. As well as an iconic 20th century masterpiece.
Green also underlines the ecological implications of drilling oil in the Great Salt Lake region.

I'm not 100% certain of the veracity of the information except that the information is quoted as originating from Nancy Holt. You can read Green's post here, and then act accordingly if you wish to do so. I'm a bit surprised at the "act today before 7PM" note (is the information new? is the emergency now?). If you have reliable info from Nancy Holt herself, or the Center For Land Use Interpretation, please let me know.
UPDATE: I've just received confirmation from former museum colleagues that the email (which has been forwarded to me) originated from Nancy Holt (Smithson's widow).


Anyway, please, act today as best as you can if you wish to help, you art and non-art people alike.
Thanks!

Green's post below:

Spiral Jetty threatened by energy development

Nancy Holt, Robert Smithson's widow, recently sent an email out detailing specific threats to Smithson's masterpiece, Spiral Jetty. Click below to read it -- and please take action before 7 pm ET today.

Yesterday I received an urgent email from Lynn DeFreitas, Director of Friends of the Great Salt Lake, telling me of plans for drilling oil in the Salt Lake near Spiral Jetty. See Attachments. The deadline for protest is [today] Wednesday, at 5PM. Of course, DIA has been informed and are meeting about it today.

I have been told by Lynn that the oil wells will not be above the water, but that means some kind of industrial complex of pipes and pumps beneath the water and on the shore. The operation would require roads for oil tank trucks, cranes, pumps etc. which produce noise and will severely alter the wild, natural place.

If you want to send a letter of protest to save the beautiful, natural Utah environment around the Spiral Jetty from oil drilling, the emails or calls of protest go to Jonathan Jemming 801-537-9023 jjemming@utah.gov. Please refer to Application # 8853. Every letter makes a big difference, they do take a lot of notice and know that publicity may follow. Since the Spiral Jetty has global significance, emails from foreign countries would be of special value.

They try to slip these drilling contracts under the radar, that¹s why we found out so late, not through notification, but from a watchdog lawyer at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the group that alerted me to the land leasing for oil and gas near Sun Tunnels last May.

Thank you for your consideration of this serious environmental matter.