Precious: The Value of Ornament

On View March 13 through September 7, 2026

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Using works from the PMA’s permanent collection, the exhibition Precious will examine how significance and value are historically assigned to objects. Along the way, it will prompt audiences to reconsider the narratives museums choose to preserve and revisit those they leave behind.

Highlighted in this exhibition will be the powerful presence of works by Indigenous, Black, queer, and women artists, alongside exquisite examples of jewelry and decorative arts—areas of the PMA’s growing collection that have historically been marginalized by traditional disciplinary boundaries. Precious will also feature new acquisitions, including Shane Perley-Dutcher’s Kikehtahsu (Healing) and Kamrooz Aram’s Untitled (Arabesque Composition).

As the next chapter in the PMA’s exploration of how collections are formed and shared, Precious will follow exhibitions like Passages in American Art (2023) and + collection (2024) in interrogating past practices of display to develop new perspectives that will define the future.

Shane Perley-Dutcher (Neqotkuk Wolasqiyik (Tobique First Nation), born 1976), Kikehtahsu (Healing), 2019, sterling silver and pietersite stone, 4 × 5 1/4 × 3 1/4 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Peggy and Harold Osher Acquisition Fund, 2023.48a–c. © SPD. Image courtesy Beaverbrook Gallery.

Kathy Butterly (United States, born 1963), Baked Sale, 2018, clay, glaze, 4 5/8 × 5 1/2 × 5 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Peggy and Harold Osher Acquisitions Fund, the Bernstein Acquisition Fund, and the Contemporary Art Fund, 2019.11. © Kathy Butterly. Image courtesy Alan Weiner.

Marcus & Co. (United States, established 1892), Brooch [leaf], circa 1900, gold, silver, and other metals, 1 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 1/2 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Bequest of Peggy L. Osher, 2021.7.1. Image courtesy Luc Demers.

Lauren Fensterstock (United States, born 1975), When a Third Sun, 2021, glass, vintage crystal, quartz, and mixed media, 14 7/8 × 14 1/2 × 8 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Peggy and Harold Osher Acquisition Fund, 2021.20. © Lauren Fensterstock. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery.

Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee, born 1972), PEOPLE LIKE US, 2018, glass and plastic beads, tin, copper and gold-finished jingles, artificial sinew, quartz crystal, silver-coated copper wire, druzy crystal, nylon thread, nylon fringe, acrylic felt, acrylic paint, repurposed wool blanket, recycled jersey stuffing, rawhide, 60 1/2 × 24 1/2 × 14 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Gift of Crewe Foundation and Family, 2019.13. © Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California. Image courtesy Peter Mauney.

Royal Worcester (England, established 1751), Scent bottle, circa 1887, porcelain and silver, 3 × 2 1/8 × 3/4 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Bequest of Eleanor G. Potter, 2021.6.1. Image courtesy Luc Demers.

Mount Washington Glass Company (United States, 1837–1958), Vase, 1891–1895, blown enameled and gilded Crown Milano glass, 14 3/4 × 6 1/4 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Bequest of Sylvia D. Greenberg, 2002.11.89. Image courtesy Mel Mclean.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Sayantan Mukhopadhyay joined the Portland Museum of Art in 2023, arriving from Los Angeles following the completion of his PhD at UCLA. His doctoral research focused on queer aesthetics in contemporary Indian art at the end of the 20th century. Most recently, he curated As We Are (2024), an exhibition highlighting emerging artists with connections to Maine. Sayantan has a diverse background in education, publishing, and the visual arts, having worked in New York, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Shanghai, and New Delhi. He holds a BA in art history and comparative literature from Williams College and an MA and PhD in art history from UCLA