How to go from obsessive pack-rat to museum-grade collector in just 20 years … and thousands of dollars
Deedie Rose is among the most fashionable of Dallas socialites, but when the arts philanthropist walks the red carpet, she’s just as likely to be wearing trash bags as she is diamonds, as comfortable in a necklace made of wishbones as she is Swarovski crystals. Rose is a collector of artfully repurposed jewelry — sometimes made of eggs or egg cartons, no Faberge in sight — which she proudly wears out. Only through September, you can see much of it, and a whole lot else, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in its exhibition Eye of the Collector.
Hand from C-3PO
Ten prominent collectors are featured in the show, which ranges from the world record-setting accumulation of Star Wars memorabilia (
more than 350,000 pieces in total, though only a fraction are on display, such as a hand from C-3PO) to an impressive amount of Dallas Cowboys trinkets (including Tom Landry’s legendary fedora) to culturally-significant African-American doll
s and an eye-poppingly exhaustive lineup of Pez dispensers, pictured above).
The folks who amassed these collections have spent countless years (as well as dollars) self-curating, often renting out enormous storage units and hiding acquisitions from their families. Hoarders always feel a little shame … until a museum comes calling and makes you a star.
So maybe all those jelly jars and fridge magnets your spouse has been whining about actually do have some value (you can even submit them to the museum). Just goes to show that the adage is right: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Eye of the Collector at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2201 N. Field St. Through Sept. 5. Submit your collection online at PerotMuseum.org.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 22, 2016.
