This summer, the Chrysler Museum of Art presents a sweeping survey of wearable art spanning nearly a century of innovation.
“Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry from the Dallas Museum of Art” showcases more than 350 works from one of the most significant contemporary jewelry collections in the United States.
Featuring more than 230 artists from 41 countries, “Constellations” reveals how jewelry expresses more than the wearer’s status and taste; it communicates vital ideas about aesthetics, functionality, the current moment and our wondrous world.
“More than a survey of contemporary jewelry, “Constellations” celebrates artists’ ability to expand the boundaries of wearable art through innovation and creativity,” says Mark A. Castro, director of curatorial affairs at the Chrysler Museum. “The exhibition invites audiences to embrace the full range of the medium’s potential— to engage serious issues while also fostering playfulness and delight.”
The exhibition is presented in four thematic “constellations” that draw connections between works and explore how artists have expressed the ideas of their time: Zones of the Body, Archetypes, Signals and Play. Just as constellations allow stargazers to map a structure onto the vast night sky, these groupings help visitors navigate paths through the diverse pieces on view.
From gold crowns that resemble cardboard to necklaces made from plastic bags and brooches shaped like toast, the breadth of the works included underscores ongoing dialogues inherent in contemporary jewelry, from explorations of new materials to playful kinetic experimentations. In doing so, “Constellations” traces the shifting ideals of beauty, wearability, identity and the importance of the creator and wearer throughout.
Since 1950, the Dallas Museum of Art has built one of the largest and most diverse holdings of contemporary jewelry. A milestone in the museum’s jewelry holdings transpired in 2014 when Deedie Potter Rose and her husband, Edward “Rusty” Rose, gifted the The Asenbaum Collection, composed largely of international works from the 1960s to the turn of the 21st century — with more than 700 pieces of jewelry by 150 artists, in addition to drawings, catalogues and other ephemera.
“Constellations” marks a rare opportunity for audiences to experience the depth of this collection outside of Texas, with many works seldom exhibited.
For the Chrysler Museum, which is internationally recognized for its collection of more than 35,000 objects, including one of the largest glass collections in America, “Constellations” offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience jewelry not simply as adornment, but as sculpture, storytelling and social commentary — an art form in constant evolution.
The Chrysler Museum of Art includes free admission, the state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio, a full-service restaurant, shop, theater, works on paper space and oversees the historic Myers House. The Museum boasts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions, events and programs and has been nationally recognized for its commitment to inclusion through its innovative gallery host program.
“Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art” is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art. The exhibition was curated by Sarah Schleuning, The Margot B. Perot senior curator of design and decorative art at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry from the Dallas Museum of Art
Jul 10, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
