Artist Meg Webster, now 80, is receiving overdue recognition for her contributions to Land art and Minimalism. Nine of her sculptures—made from moss, beeswax, salt, and other natural materials—recently went on long-term view at Dia Beacon in Upstate New York. Webster, who worked as Michael Heizer's studio assistant in her late 30s, has spent decades creating intimate, urban-sited Land art in downtown Manhattan, challenging the movement's reputation as a macho, remote, monumental practice. She will also feature prominently in a Minimal art group exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris this October.
Webster's belated inclusion in major exhibitions matters because it corrects a long-standing gender imbalance in the history of Land art and Minimalism. For decades, female land artists like Webster were marginalized, while male figures like Robert Smithson, Walter De Maria, and Donald Judd dominated the narrative. Recent shows—such as the Nasher Sculpture Center's "Groundswell: Women of Land Art" in 2023—have begun to redress this, expanding the definition of Land art to include urban, small-scale, and sensory works. Webster's practice also bridges Land art and Minimalism, infusing geometric forms with organic warmth, and her recognition signals a broader institutional shift toward inclusivity in art history.