U.S. Earth Art

The creators of Stonehenge and the American Mound Builders constructed environments that have inspired awe for centuries. Even though the original contexts are sacred, these constructions inspired artists throughout the centuries, specifically those immersed in Land Art. The concept of Land Art, or Earth Art, emerged in the 1960s in Great Britain and the United States. It is a conceptual art movement using only natural materials or the land itself to create something new — think crop circles, for instance.

Famous artists of the medium include Richard Long and Robert Smithson. Smithson is known for his famous “Spiral Jetty” in the Great Salt Lake created in 1970, while Richard Long is regarded for his less monumental works, which focus on art created by walking through landscapes. These two artists create using different methods — representative of the movement — for example, Smithson employs machines to move the earth, while Long uses only the human body.

These monumental installations exist worldwide, but there are some famous pieces scattered through the Southwest and Curbed created a map. Walter de Maria’s “The Lightening Field” in New Mexico is particularly stunning during bad weather. You can even book a cabin nearby so as to maximize the likelihood of seeing these 400 stainless steel rods interact with the sky.