Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1540685
By Melissa Smrekar I n the 1950s, the Dallas Museum of Art (then known as the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts) began collecting contemporary jewelry. Broadly defining the category as works made by artists who explore ideas and expressions of their own time, the DMA continued acquiring such works throughout the following 75 years. The collection blossomed in 2010 when Dallas philanthropist and arts patron Deedie Potter Rose gifted the DMA important contemporary artworks; five years For the first time, the DMA's stunning contemporary jewelry collection is exhibited. Written in the Stars A Collection later, Deedie and Rusty Rose gifted a collection of jewelry from Austrian gallerist Inge Asenbaum, one of the most significant voices in contemporary jewelry. More than 700 pieces by 150 artists comprise the Asenbaum Collection, which inspired additional gifts, acquisitions, and commissions of new works. Today, the DMA's extensive holdings of nearly 1,400 jewelry pieces from the 1940s to today, stand apart as one of the most comprehensive and diverse collections in the world — one the public can experience for the first time in "Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art," opening Sunday, November 9. Margot B. Perot Senior Curator of Design and Decorative Art Sarah Schleuning curates the exhibit, which was designed by artist and architect Jarrod Beck. "Constellations" traces the history of the DMA's jewelry holdings and reinforces the themes of connectivity and alchemy. Four hundred pieces, many accompanied by artists' drawings or archival photographs, are organized into thematic "constellations": Zones of Body, which showcases how jewelry engages with the human form; Archetypes, which examines shapes and abstraction in jewelry design; Signals, which explores hidden meanings in the materials and design; and Play, an investigation of witty design and the sensorial experience of jewelry. "Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art, November 9, 2025 – May 3, 2026; dma.org. Art Smith's Galaxy neckpiece, circa 1962. Bruno Martinazzi's Goldfinger bracelet, 1969, in 18K white gold and 20K yellow gold. GOLDFINGER BRACELET: GALERIE AM GRABEN, VIENNA. © BRUNO MARTINAZZI. PHOTO BY CHAD REDMON. "Design to Live With" lounge at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1950. On left: Ellamarie Woolley pendant, circa 1947-1950. ARCHIVAL IMAGE: COURTESY THE JERRY BYWATERS COLLECTION OF ART OF THE SOUTHWEST, BYWATERS SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY GALAXY NECKPIECE: © SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE. PHOTO BY CHAD REDMON. 62