Talks & Thinkers
Upcoming Events
Learn from expert, Oliver Tobin— former Teens@Graham Director and curator of Martha Graham: Collaborations – who invites teens with a love for movement to explore Graham’s 1929 choreographed work Heretic. This participatory workshop is open to teenagers of all dance backgrounds and experience levels. Participants will be introduced to the Martha Graham Technique and explore embodied storytelling through movement in the main gallery, surrounded by the iconic history and legacy presented in the exhibition.
Programmed in tandem with the exhibition, this workshop celebrates International Women’s Day, Sunday, March 8th. Join us in honoring Martha Graham, who devoted her life and body to the arts, sought power and liberation for women through dance, and, through collaboration, forged a legacy that transformed the landscape of contemporary dance.
Participants should dress comfortably and bring a water bottle. Socks or bare feet are recommended for movement. No other materials are needed.
Breathe and reconnect to the pure intention of your heart with Céline Antoine, our March Wellness Monday leader and certified breathwork guide. In this intensive 90-minute Healing Breathwork class, participants will mindfully engage their breath using a potent technique called circular breath. Participants will be lying on the ground and must bring their own yoga mat and 1 to 2 blankets/throws/or beach towels for the practice.
This technique helps relieve stress and anxiety while releasing emotions stuck in the body. Healing Breathwork allows participants the opportunity to gain deep insights and experience profound breakthroughs and can often lead to a powerful and transformational experience that resonates in the body well after the session has ended.
In the words of Tich Naht Hanh, “breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness.”
This class is not recommended if you have heart problems, unmedicated high blood pressure, glaucoma or detached retina, or if you are pregnant.
Award-winning photographers and bestselling authors Ken Browar & Deborah Ory join us to discuss their stunning art book Martha Graham Dance Company: 100 Years, which captures the current company of Graham dancers in gorgeous, spirited action. The husband-and-wife team are joined by artist, writer, and former Chief Curator of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, Bonnie Rychlak. The longtime friends will discuss their unique histories, the spirit of collaboration, the curatorial process and more – sharing with the audience photographic stills from the beautiful book that celebrates the 100 years of the Company. Following the discussion there will be a spirited Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing.
The esteemed photographic duo, with ties to the editorial world have been documenting Dancers. Ory, a former dancer, and Browar a renowned fashion and editorial photographer, come together with a unique eye for shape, line, and nuance. Together they are able to compile masterpieces that are shaped by their unique vision.
Before becoming the chief curator of Isamu Noguchi’s Museum, Rychlak served as his studio assistant. She is a recognized authority on Noguchi, having curated numerous exhibitions worldwide and authored the accompanying catalogues. No stranger to collaboration, Rychlak joins the conversation with a unique perspective on the selection process in the creation of an art book.
Programmed in tandem with our exhibition Martha Graham: Collaborations, this program explores the spirit of collaboration while continuing to celebrate the legacy of the Company.
A special thank you to our collaborating community book sellers, Book Hampton, for joining us on this program.
Sag Harbor resident, Laura L. Rubin invites you to take a journey with her in our March Insight Sunday. Rubin will illuminate the creative process behind her soon to be published and highly anticipated book The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling. How does a personal journaling practice lead to a career as a workshop builder? And how does that career then manifest as a path into the world of publishing? This very special Insight Sunday invites us to both learn about Rubin’s creativity and practice it: bring a notebook and a pen and get perspective into Rubin’s journaling approach with a few micro prompts. Rubin will share her experiences of listening to one’s authentic inner voice and having the courage to step into center-stage, and how Sag Harbor shaped her journey.
Copies of the book will be available for the first time to the public at the end of the discussion!
A special thank you to our collaborating community book sellers, Book Hampton, for joining us on this program.
Join Oliver Tobin, former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and curator of Martha Graham: Collaborations, in a movement workshop for adults inspired by Matha Graham’s seminal solo Lamentation. Open to all backgrounds and experience levels, the workshop introduces the expressive foundations of the Martha Graham Technique and explores storytelling through breath, shape, and movement. Working in a supportive and reflective environment, movers will explore themes of grief, containment, release, resilience, and transformation at the heart of Lamentation.
Presented in dialogue with the exhibition, this workshop invites physical exploration, reflection, and connection while honoring Graham’s belief in the body as a vessel for human experience and emotional truth.
Participants should dress comfortably and bring a water bottle. Socks or bare feet are recommended for movement. No additional materials are required.
March 22nd Query: When should you trust your gut? (And when should you not?)
Still, Small Voice draws its name from the idea of the "still, small voice" within—a quiet, inner voice that guides us in moments of reflection. This monthly gathering, started in 2023 as an artistic experiment, now returns as a community-led practice with rotating facilitators. It invites participants to engage in silent reflection and thoughtful sharing, centered around a question about creativity, community, and being human. We forever ever grateful for Nanao Anton & Erling Hope for their contributions, inspirations, and commitment.
This is a space to hear your and others’ authentic voices & own it in community, free of judgement or reaction, as necessary
This is not group therapy, a study group, a political action group or Quaker Meeting.
Please review our Community Values before attending.
“It has to do with women, their sacrifices and strength, and of course politics!” says author and poet Philip Schultz of his latest book of poetry, Enormous Mornings. The Pulitzer Prize winning poet is joined in conversation with visual artist and The Church co-founder April Gornik, whose painting Light Bending the World is featured on the book’s cover. Sharing excerpts from the book and engaging in a delightful dialogue with Gornik, Schultz invites audiences to discover his new work and the inspirations behind it. Following the discussion there will be a Q&A.
This newest poetic publication is set to release March 10th, 2026 by W.W. Norton. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and can be signed by the author after the talk.
Join us as we close out Women’s History month with a poetic program that celebrates and explores the wisdom of women.
This program is supported by the Friends of the Fund for Community & Education at The Church
Strike a pose and continue your celebration of International Women’s Day at our special March Knowledge Friday! – that explores the intersection of our current exhibition while also celebrating a creative community member of the South Fork. Join us for a sit down with Shelter Island’s own Margaret Garrett, a former dancer turned visual artist.
Knowledge Friday provides an intimate presentation by a community member who shares their knowledge and expertise with rare intimacy. For March, we’re exploring Garret’s special history with dance and then will turn the spotlight on a special Martha Graham Dance Company Project: The 19Poses. The audience is invited to learn a few of the poses, do the poses, and to own them in their own, powerful way!
Developed as part of The Eve Project, Martha Graham Dance Company’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, The 19 Poses honors the suffragists and accentuates Martha Graham’s revolutionary representation of women onstage. Drawn from a curated selection of photographs of Graham in evocative poses, The 19 Poses were shared in this YouTube Video, starring the star of The Church’s Saturday dance performance, Xin Ying! The project also led to a memorable Insta-Graham challenge, which invited women everywhere to utilize the poses in their everyday life. Join us as we learn more about an incredible project that brought women together through movement and expression.
This talk has been programmed in tandem with Martha Graham: Collaborations, on view January 18 – March 22 during our exhibition hours, Thursday through Monday from 11 AM – 5 PM.