Rags to Rhinestones

Rags to Rhinestones comes to the Denver Art Museum on Tuesday, January 12, 2027, from 6 PM to 7 PM. It's a talk centered on Dolly Parton's costumes, part of the museum's DIVA exhibition.

DIVA started at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and was adapted by the Denver Art Museum for an American audience. It celebrates the radical power, creativity, and cultural impact of nearly 100 iconic performers—names like Josephine Baker, Sarah Bernhardt, and Maria Callas alongside Cher, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Prince, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift. On display are around 250 objects and show-stopping costumes worn by legends, from Marilyn Monroe to a look Rihanna wore to the Met Gala, with an interactive section that asks visitors which divas excite them.

The talk itself brings in two people who know Dolly's wardrobe inside and out. Rebecca Seaver is the executive director of the upcoming Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum, and Christian Ferguson is the chief historian and archivist for the Dolly Parton Archive. They've both been longtime members of the archive team and worked together on curating her New York Times bestselling book, Behind The Seams, My Life In Rhinestones. They'll draw on seven decades of her career and their own work with her collection to talk through the costumes.

It runs from 6 PM to 7 PM in the Sharp Auditorium, located in the Hamilton Building on the lower level of the museum. A ticket is required, with discounts for members and free admission for Museum Friends, CultureHaus, and students.