“I think the reason dance has held such an ageless magic for the world is that it has been the symbol of the performance of living,” Martha Graham once stated.
The Church in Sag Harbor presents an opening reception for its 2026 Winter Exhibition. “Martha Graham: Collaborations,” on Saturday, January 17, from 6 to 7:30 PM. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of Martha Graham Dance Company, the exhibition examines the company’s history through the lens of its artistic partnerships. These collaborations generated groundbreaking innovations in dance, sculpture, stage design, lighting, and musical composition.
A multimedia exhibition curated by Oliver Tobin, a former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and former Director of Martha Graham Resources, examines how collaborations generated groundbreaking innovations in dance, sculpture, stage design, lighting, and musical composition.
The exhibition features original sets by Isamu Noguchi; costumes by Donna Karan, Halston, and Graham herself; audio and visual presentations highlighting the contributions of composer Aaron Copland and lighting designer Jean Rosenthal; and performance and interview footage with generations of dancers. Archival photographs, texts, and films further illuminate this distinguished history. The exhibition explores the “performance of living” embodied in Graham’s work through the stories, forms, and creative achievements that emerged from her tenacious vision and the remarkable artists who shaped it alongside her.
The exhibition is curated by Oliver Tobin, commissioned expressly for The Church from a concept by Executive Director Sheri L. Pasquarella. The exhibition design is itself a collaboration among Tobin, Pasquarella, and Joe Jagos, Exhibition Coordinator at The Church, with contributions from graphic designers Virginia Edwards and Maria Lavazzo.
Oliver Tobin stated, “This exhibition celebrates Martha Graham’s legacy as a profoundly influential and collaborative force — an artist whose work was shaped and sustained by the dancers who embodied her ideas and the composers, designers, and thinkers who elevated and inspired her. Their shared authorship forged a modern language that remains vital across generations and continues to reverberate a century later.”
To coincide with the exhibit, on Saturday, January 24, at 5 PM, The Church will present a first look at a new solo being created for the Martha Graham Dance Company – to be performed by Lloyd Knight, the Company’s acclaimed lead dancer. Based on archival materials assembled over many years, the performance takes inspiration from a work choreographed by Martha herself in 1938. After its creation at The Church, the new solo will become a centerpiece of the Company’s repertory for 2026 – its 100th season.
A film screening of “Martha Graham: The Dancer Revealed” will be held on Saturday, January 31, at 5 PM at The Church, followed by a Q&A with executive producer Susan Lacy, led by Sheri L. Pasquarella. Produced for PBS’s “American Masters” series, the hour-long film is a definitive documentary on the life and work of Martha Graham. It traces Martha Graham’s career from her early days with Denishawn Company and follows her through the formation of her own troupe. Directed by Catherine Tatge and narrated by Claire Bloom, the film documents Graham’s emergence as one of the most important figures in twentieth-century dance, as echoed by the set pieces, costumes, photos, and more of the exhibition.