Constellations Brings Dazzling Century of Contemporary Jewelry to the Chrysler Museum
Giovanni Corvaja,
Brooch, 2007,
18k gold and enamel, Dallas Museum of Art, promised gift of Deedie Potter Rose.
© Giovanni Corvaja. Photo by Chad Redmon, courtesy Dallas Museum of Art.
Major Exhibition from the Dallas Museum of Art Showcases More Than 350 Wearable Works of Art by Artists From 41 Countries
NORFOLK, Va. – This summer, the Chrysler Museum of Art presents “Constellations: Contemporary Jewelry from the Dallas Museum of Art,” a sweeping survey of wearable art spanning nearly a century of innovation. On view July 10, 2026–January 3, 2027, this exhibition brings more than 350 works to One Memorial Pl, Norfolk from one of the most significant contemporary jewelry collections in the United States, formed by the Dallas Museum of Art.
“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.”
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. 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. 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, 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.
“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.
The Chrysler Museum of Art’s exhibition is presented by G Marie Luxuries.
ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART
The Chrysler Museum of Art welcomes you to connect with art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Internationally recognized for its collection of more than 35,000 objects, including one of the largest glass collections in America, the Museum also 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. For more information, visit chrysler.org. Follow on social media @ChryslerMuseum to receive the latest updates.
About Contemporary Jewelry at the DMA
The Dallas Museum of Art—then known as the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts—began collecting contemporary jewelry in 1950 with the acquisition of a collection of enamelwares by San Diego-based artists Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, including three pendants by Ellamarie. Throughout the 20th century, the collection expanded with pieces primarily by local and regional makers, including the pioneering North Texas “Lady Blacksmiths” (Velma Davis Dozier and Esther Webb Houseman) along with Thetis Lemmon, who taught themselves and others the art of metalworking and jewelry design.
The collection began to blossom in scope in 2010, when the Museum was gifted a series of important contemporary works by local philanthropist, collector and longtime DMA supporter Deedie Potter Rose. Four years later, Deedie and her husband, Edward “Rusty” Rose, gifted the Museum the collection of noted Austrian collector and gallerist Inge Asenbaum (1925-2016), one of the most significant voices in contemporary jewelry of her time. The Asenbaum Collection, composed largely of international works from the 1960s to the turn of the 21st century, bolstered the DMA’s collection with over 700 pieces of jewelry by 150 artists, in addition to drawings, catalogues and other ephemera.
These acquisitions catalyzed a new era for contemporary jewelry at the DMA, inspiring additional gifts from donors, key acquisitions and even commissions of new works for the collection by artists Iris vanHerpen, Joyce J. Scott, Brian Fleetwood and Ute Decker.
