Spiral Jetta Summer

This short ebook is an excerpt from a longer work, but it stands well on its own. The author takes a road trip to visit "land art" in the American west, and interweaves travel writing, personal essay, and art criticism in her account of the trip. This excerpt covers her first stop, which is to see a piece called Spiral Jetty on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I enjoyed the way the book helped me understand the art better, but it there is still a fair amount of art criticism jargon. I was able to make sense of it, and I think most other non-experts will, too. So while the book would have been stronger if the author had found a way to write in more general language about the art, I still recommend it for anyone curious about modern art in general, and large, site-specific installations in particular. As a testament to the book, I am now tempted to try to tack a visit to Spiral Jetty onto an upcoming trip to Salt Lake City!