Welcome to Great Salt Lake Institute
Great Salt Lake (GSL) is a unique, understudied, and undervalued national landmark. As one of the extreme ecosystems of the world, where life is tested at its limits, GSL provides new territory for exploration, learning and stewardship. We invite you to join with us in our quest to understand the lake and all that it offers.
Announcements
Generous Grant to Help Kick-off B.R.I.N.E
One project that falls under BRINE is our research on the mercury levels in spiders that live at Great Salt Lake. Read a story about it in the
Salt Lake Tribune.GSLI Named a Steward of the Spiral Jetty
The Great Salt Lake Institute (GSLI) is thrilled to announce that we are one of two local partners supporting Dia Art Foundation in the stewardship of The Spiral Jetty. Together with the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, we commit to protect and value the Spiral Jetty as a unique world-renowned piece of artwork and as a place where we can conduct valuable research on Great Salt Lake.
”For fifteen years, students and faculty from Westminster College have been traveling to The Spiral Jetty to research the science of Great Salt Lake. What we never anticipated is how the artwo rk would draw us in. This is the power of land art-Spiral Jetty makes a statement about the nature of the environment in which it exists. GSLI can harness this and bring this sensibility to all our educational, research, and public programming,” said Dr. Bonnie Baxter, Director of Great Salt Lake Institute. Read the full press release.
Also, watch these intriguing videos:
Dr. Bonnie Baxter - Spiral Jetty Explained
Dr. Bonnie Baxter, Director of Great Salt Lake Institute explains why water in the north arm of Great Salt Lake (where Spiral Jetty is located) is coloroed pink and describes other important organisms that live near Spiral Jetty.
Hickmet Sidney Loe - Spiral Jetty Explained
Local art historian and Spiral Jetty expert, Loe explains the idea of multiplicity behind these three components and gives an overview of the history of the piece.
Image Credit: Robert Smithson, the Spiral Jetty, 1970. Long-term installation in Rozel Point, Box Elder County, Utah. Collection Dia Art Foundation, New York. Photo: Martin Hogue.
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FAQ
Q. What is Spiral Jetty?
A. Spiral Jetty is an earthwork (aka land art) created by Robert Smithson in 1970. It’s 1,500 feet of coiled black basalt ,which provides a stunning contrast to the pink microbe-rich waters. The Spiral Jetty not only leaves an imprint in your soul, it is also one of the only access points for GSLI students and faculty to collect samples of halophilic microorganisms in Great Salt Lake’s hypersaline Gunnison Bay (or north arm). Read more on the
Dia Art Foundation webpage.
Q. Why was GSLI selected as one of the stewards?
A. Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College is an active and frequent visitor to Spiral Jetty. We go there for scientific exploration. As a local member of the Great Salt Lake community we are in a position to act as stewards for Spiral Jetty by being there and monitoring the area for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (FFSL), and Dia. We can notify Dia of land changes, road issues, or local happenings at the jetty.
Q. What will change now that the Spiral Jetty has new stewards?
A. Dia Art Foundation will now have two local organizations that can assist with stewardship: UMFA with its expertise in the arts and GSLI with expertise in the science and stewardship of the Great Salt Lake. The Spiral Jetty now has more local advocates who can help care for the earthwork.
Q. How does the GSLI’s research impact the Spiral Jetty?
A. GSLI is fortunate enough to have a study site that is also a world-renowned piece of art in the extreme hypersaline waters of Gunnison Bay in Great Salt Lake. The research of GSLI and Dr. Baxter do not impact the Spiral Jetty. Our research furthers our understanding of the extreme halophiles, which gives the waters around the jetty its intense hues.
Q. Who should I contact if I have questions about the GSLI becoming a steward of the Spiral Jetty?
Q. Who owns Spiral Jetty?
A. The estate of
Robert Smithson owns the copyright of Spiral Jetty and controls the images created of Spiral Jetty. Dia Art Foundation owns Spiral Jetty and holds the land lease Spiral Jetty is located on.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands manages the bed of Great Salt Lake for all Utah citizens. Because Spiral Jetty sits below the meander line of the Great Salt Lake (and on the lake bed in high years) the land Spiral Jetty is on must be leased and managed by the State of Utah. A meander line is the line used to represent the perimeter of a body of water.
Read more.
Q. Is spiral Jetty underwater?
A: Check out the website of
Hikmet Sidney Loe for current happenings and the lake level status at the Spiral Jetty.
