Beckman, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery.
By Gus Saltonstall
The American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side will open a special exhibition this spring that “celebrates hip-hop’s cultural influence through spectacular custom-made jewelry worn by some of its iconic stars.”
“Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry” will open on May 9 in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery within the museum’s recently redesigned Hall of Gems and Minerals.
“These jewelry pieces are not just magnificent in and of themselves, they’re an important part of hip-hop history and hip-hop culture as artists claimed and transformed traditional symbols of luxury and success,” said Sean M. Decatur, President of the American Museum of Natural History, in a news release. “Hip-hop jewelry has had a huge impact on our wider modern culture, and we are excited to provide our visitors the opportunity to see these remarkable pieces, especially in the context of our Mignone Halls dedicated to gems and minerals.”
Specifically, the exhibit will trace the evolution of jewelry in hip-hop over the past five decades, starting with the oversized gold chains in the 1980s, up through what present day popular rappers are wearing.
Here are a few of the items that will be on display.
- Slick Rick’s gem-encrusted crown
- Notorious B.I.G’s gold ‘Jesus Piece’
- Jay-Z’s diamond-studded Roc-A-Fella medallion
- Nicki Minaj’s sparkling ‘Barbie’ pendant
Other rappers that will have pieces of jewelry featured in the exhibit are Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg, and Tyler the Creator.
The exhibit also aligns with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as a global phenomenon.
“Jewelry is a cornerstone of hip-hop culture and you can see the evolution of jewelry alongside the rise of hip-hop itself,” said “Ice Cold” guest curator Vikki Tobak, who is the author of “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History, which much of the exhibit is based upon.
This exhibit is the first that the American Museum of Natural History has announced since it closed two large halls displaying Native American artifacts, in order to align with new federal regulations requiring museums to get consent from indigenous tribes before displaying their cultural items.
You can find out more about the “Ice Cold” exhibit on the American Museum of Natural History’s website — HERE.
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Really??? Why???
Hang on. They got rid of Teddy Roosevelt and other historically significant pieces and are replacing it with this stuff? At the museum of “natural history”. Sorry but this is too too much. How does this have any educational value?
The AMNH has a long tradition of highlighting jewels and jewelry in various ways and exhibitions, including with the current show, “Garden of Green, Exquisite Jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels”. (Was there such a quick-boil reaction to that similarly sparkly exhibit?)
With this new exhibition, the museum is continuing the same tradition while also tapping into the interest created by the 50th anniversary of hip hop. No doubt they also hope to appeal to a wider audience.
If it doesn’t sound interesting to you, don’t go; but don’t be so quick to dismiss something you’re not willing to see for yourself.
“ If it doesn’t sound interesting to you, don’t go” …. Fair enough. And if you find the TR statue offensive, don’t look at it. Instead, they tore it down.
Comparing an inaccurate statue of TR outside of the AMNH while having an exhibit inside of actual history (50 years of jewelry) are not the same. Please be more open to learning instead of shutting down.
This is a sad indictment of the current state of affairs in NYC. I will not be taking my kids to a museum for this.
Yes, how tragic that a museum wing dedicated to gems and that has a history of exhibiting collections of jewelry would be showcasing a collection of culturally relevant jewelry.
Cue the bothered white folks…
And if the museum featured an exhibit on clothing worn by the pioneers who settled the American West, I imagine you’d be the bothered one!
That would be at the fashion institute at the Met. They do clothes and fashion, as well as fine arts. AMNH does jewelry shows.. Get over yourself.
Ok, this is AWESOME. Hip-hop is such a cornerstone of NYC and it obviously makes sense to host this at the AMNH because, well, gems and minerals. May 9th can’t come sooner.
(Of all the artists, I have to say that I’m the most excited about Erykah Badu’s collection!)
And…I expected to see some NIMBY-esque responses here…
…and boy y’all did NOT let me down!
W’HO is making this decision?
Very poor idea.
Are these the role models we want to glorify? Can’t wait til this exhibit is “history’!
Of course, they are roll models. Just listen to the lyrics.
Profane. Misogynistic. Violent.
What more could we ask for.?
What a shame that money is being wasted for this.
No offense to dinosaurs — either the prehistoric ones in the museum or the ignorant cultural ones commenting here — but this is fantastic. Joey Bada$$ at AMNH!!?! Biggie!! Jay!! As the sad time of cultural appropriation begins to recede, the historically rich and deeply American idiom of hip-hop cries power. Ice is its dress code…
Great stuff! Sounds like a lot of people in the comments are upset they don’t have any ice. Jealousy is a stinky cologne
Can’t wait to go see this exhibit with my family!
How fun!
This old lady will throughly enjoy this exhibit. ❤️
Some of these comments are as expected and to say I’m a little disappointed is an understatement. As an African-American (not that should matter). I’ve never been a fan of hip-hop however I understand it’s culture relevance (Hip-hop turned 50). I support many exhibits, talks and shows that don’t necessarily have any significance to me, however I am open to learning. Why can’t this exhibit be the same for others.
I love the UWS, but struggle with the lack of tolerance and acceptance when it comes to certain heritages or ethnic groups. Do better.
See my comments above. Not a big fan of hip-hop, either, (it doesn’t hold a candle to other musical eras), but I LOVE jewelry of all kinds, so … for the hall of gems, it makes perfect sense to me, since these pieces are hand crafted, one of a kind. It’s no different than when there is an exhibition of jewels of any other era.
Wait…..April 1st isn’t for 25 more days.
Might have been more suitable for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a big fashion presence. When you say Museum of Natural History, a ll people think of is dinosaurs. Still I’m glad they are doing it.
It’s vintage jewelry in the jewelry wing.
What does this have to do with the nature history museum . Should be at an art museum
Jewelry is made of precious gems and metals mined from the earth. Such substances are studied in fields like gemology, mineralogy, and metallurgy, which are branches of the natural sciences.
And as such, should be treated with respect, and not trashed.