Every jewel tells a story, capturing a moment in time and a glimpse of the culture that created it. At the
Muskegon Museum of Art, “
Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective” offers visitors a sparkling walk through history, revealing how jewelry has shaped and reflected society from the Renaissance to the present day.
The exhibit, which opened Thursday evening, showcases over 200 rare and historic pieces. Many items have never before been on public display.
The collection includes treasures from the
Richard H. Driehaus Collection and other private collections in Chicago.
Highlights include a 19th-century jeweled monstrance, royal medals, and elaborate tiaras, along with iconic gems from the art nouveau era. The display features pieces by famous artisans like Louis Comfort Tiffany, Paul Revere Jr., and René Lalique, as well as local works from Chicago’s Kalo Shop.
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Courtesy Muskegon Museum of Art Underwritten by Sanborn’s Jewelers and the JSJ Foundation, “Chicago Collects” is on display through Jan. 5.
Organized by jewelry historian Elyse Zorn Karlin and the Driehaus Museum, the exhibition is a chronological journey, inviting viewers to explore the evolution of jewelry across historical movements like British arts and crafts, belle époque, art deco, and midcentury modern.
Each piece offers a lens into its era’s social and artistic currents, turning the exhibit into a visual timeline of shifting tastes and trends.
“‘Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective’ brings audiences closer to a very personal art form — jewelry — to show how history can add new perspectives to our everyday lives,” says Driehaus Museum Executive Director Lisa Key. “Audiences will be thrilled to experience, up close, incredible works of wearable art and revel in the artistry of this universal art form.”
Underwritten by Sanborn’s Jewelers and the JSJ Foundation, “Chicago Collects” is on display through Jan. 5, with contributions from the Chicago History Museum, the Lizzadro Museum, and several private collectors and contemporary Chicago jewelry artisans.
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Courtesy Muskegon Museum of Art “‘Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective’ brings audiences closer to a very personal art form — jewelry — to show how history can add new perspectives to our everyday lives,” says Driehaus Museum Executive Director Lisa Key.
The Lakeshore caught up with Art Martin, the Muskegon Museum of Art’s director of collections and exhibition, for a Q&A about the exhibit.
The Lakeshore: What inspired the Muskegon Museum of Art to bring the “Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective” exhibition to Muskegon, and how does it align with the museum’s mission or past exhibitions?
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Courtesy Art MartinArt Martin, the Muskegon Museum of Art’s director of collections and exhibition.
Art Martin: “Chicago Collects” was a direct result of our relationship with the Richard H. Driehaus Collection. We had the opportunity to work with the Driehaus team to bring a collection of Tiffany lamps to Muskegon in 2023-2024, and they were working, at that time, with the staff of the Driehaus Museum to organize this jewelry exhibition.
We had been looking for a jewelry show for some time, and the Driehaus Museum staff and lenders very generously agreed to extend the show for an added appearance in Muskegon. For us, “Chicago Collects” builds on the popular response to “Dressing the Abbey,” which we hosted in 2022, and the Tiffany lamp exhibition.
Shows such as these explore how much art and design both inform and are informed by their time and how art of the past continues to influence today. Understanding and sharing this continuity is an important part of our mission.
TL: Many of the pieces in this collection have never been displayed publicly before. Could you share a bit about the process of selecting these specific items and the impact you hope they’ll have on visitors?
AM: The works in the exhibition were selected by the organizing guest curator for the Driehaus Museum, jewelry historian and author Elyse Zorn Karlin. Her selections showcase jewelry and fine design from the late 19th century into the contemporary, hitting upon key moments of innovation and new stylistic departures.
These changes tied closely to social, cultural, and technological changes of the early 20th century. I think the biggest impact on viewers will be enjoying the beauty and elegance of fine materials and expert crafting, be it a silver creamer by Paul Revere Jr. or a stunning blue winged tiara.
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Courtesy Muskegon Museum of Art “Chicago Collects: Jewelry in Perspective” features over 200 rare and historic pieces, including items that have never before been on public display.
TL: The exhibition spans several influential stylistic movements, from art nouveau to midcentury modern. How does the chronological timeline help viewers connect with the historical and cultural shifts reflected in the jewelry?
AM: By grouping the objects by style and era, the exhibition highlights how much the various artistic movements encompassed a host of media: jewelry, home and religious objects, and furniture.
Visitors are given immediate examples of these shifts in design, narrated by accompanying panels that give historical insight into how and why these changes were occurring.
TL: What are some of your favorite pieces created by notable artists and designers like Louis Comfort Tiffany, Paul Revere Jr., and René Lalique that contribute to the uniqueness of this collection?
AM: I mentioned earlier the gorgeous blue winged tiara, certainly a beautiful and unusual object worth making the trip to see. The show opens with a masterfully and complexly made monstrance, a ceremonial religious object that features rays of light made from metal, angels, clouds, saints, and gems, which stands nearby to a delightfully over-the-top pocket watch that once belonged to King Ludwig II (famed for building Neuschwanstein Castle, upon which the Disney castle is based). Clocks, teapots, stained glass, translucent pendants, rings, and brooches inspired by Sputnik provide a gallery full of visual delights.
TL: Lisa Key, the Driehaus Museum's executive director in Chicago, who organized the exhibit, says she believes the exhibit allows visitors to see history in a personal light through jewelry. How do you think this exhibit might shift how people view jewelry as more than an accessory but as a narrative of cultural and personal expression? And what has been the reaction so far?
AM: Selecting and wearing jewelry is definitely a form of personal and creative expression, with the style and materials of the chosen pieces conveying their own message. People who know the history of jewelry are able to bring a whole new level of communication with what they wear and how they wear it.
Studying the works of famous designers gives guests insight into the designs of today. Seeing the pieces in their historical context offers guests a chance to gain a more complex understanding of our shared culture and how we choose to navigate and express ourselves within it.
Fine metals, jewels, and artistry have fascinated people throughout history, and this thread gives the show an undeniable visual and intellectual appeal. While the show is still young in Muskegon, it was a big hit in Chicago and our early guests have been thrilled, so I encourage everyone to make plans to see the show.