Dallas Museum of Art’s “Constellations” Exhibition Showcases Otherworldly Contemporary Jewelry
A Collection Written in the Stars
BY Melissa Smrekar //
“Design to Live With” lounge at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, 1950. On left: Ellamarie Woolley pendant, circa 1947-1950. (Courtesy the Jerry Bywaters Collection of Art of the Southwest, Bywaters Special Collections, Southern Methodist University)
For the first time, the Dallas Museum of Art’s stunning contemporary jewelry collection is exhibited.
In the 1950s, the DMA (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 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.
from the series Cardboard, patinated silver and white gold, Dallas
Museum of Art, promised gift of Deedie Potter Rose. © David
Bielander. Photo by Chad Redmon, courtesy Dallas Museum of Art.
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,” which opened in November and runs through May 3, 2026.
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. 400 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
- Play, an investigation of witty design and the sensorial experience of jewelry
and stainless steel, Dallas Museum of Art, promised gift of Deedie
Potter Rose. © Gisbert Stach. Photo by Chad Redmon, courtesy
Dallas Museum of Art.
This winter, there is plenty to do, see, and experience in the nation’s largest contiguous urban arts district, and you’ll certainly want to add jewelry star-gazing to your 2026 bucket list. We hate to share spoilers, but where else can you see a golden crown that resembles cardboard? Or a necklace made from a plastic bag? Or, better yet, a brooch shaped liked toast?
“Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art” is on exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art through May 3, 2026. Tickets are free for DMA members and $20 for the general public.
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