Alex Streeter: Best Dressed Pirate
24 October 2015 – 31 January 2016
A renowned jewelry designer whose pioneering shop on Prince Street was a Soho mainstay from 1971 to 2001, Streeter was drawn to Tucson and upon moving here brought together an eccentric and unique accumulation of memorabilia at his home in the Old Barrio, which has attracted curious and fascinated locals and pilgrims from afar ever since. For Best Dressed Pirate many of these artifacts, including his own artwork, a handsome boat model, Mexican long-toed cowboy boots, photographs of various luminaries wearing his jewelry, handmade lamps, and relics of personal and social historical import will be installed at MOCA. The scroll and pistol-adorned “Buffalo Room” will be transported in its entirety to occupy one whole gallery, and his instantly recognizable “Bisbee Bomber” motorcycle will also be on display. The items and handiwork touch on everything from the beginnings of New York City’s loft laws to Streeter’s Japanese cult following, outsider and folk traditions, and one person’s heartfelt, passionate engagement with their myriad inspirations. Faithfully replicating this singular environment and the treasure trove it contains, this literal “museum within a museum” will have an immersive and rustic ambience evoking and reflecting Alex Streeter’s remarkable path in life and art and the intersection and inseparability of the two.
Images by Maya Heilman-Hall.