"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

 The Church is pleased to announce its first exhibition of 2026, Martha Graham: Collaborations, centered on the theme of collaboration. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Martha Graham Dance Company—The Church’s first-ever artists in residence—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.

This multi-media exhibition features original sets and props 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 Sheri L. Pasquarella. The exhibition design is a collaboration among Tobin, Pasquarella, and Joe Jagos, Exhibition Coordinator at The Church, with contributions from graphic designers Virginia Edwards and Maria Lavazzo.

"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.”

– Oliver Tobin

Tobin’s curation brings deep insights and experience that will take the form of a timeline and a series of essays presented as informational text throughout the exhibition. Oliver Tobin is a former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, where he performed in seminal works including Appalachian Spring, Clytemnestra, El Penitente, Embattled Garden and more. In 2016, Oliver was appointed Director of Martha Graham Resources, where he led the preservation and stewardship of the Company’s extensive archive, spanning materials from 1894 to 2021—including costumes, production designs, photographs, ephemera, and personal items. He facilitated the relocation of the archive to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and implemented a digital archive to broaden access and support licensing for theaters, museums, academic institutions, and media. He has also curated and produced Graham-focused exhibitions for Google Arts & Culture, SFMOMA, and Museum Folkwang. As well, he has an extensive and impressive history as an actor, dancer, educator, and facilitator.

Artists to be featured:

Martha Graham, Isamu Noguchi, Aaron Copland, Jean Rosenthal, Donna Karan, Halston and over 100 dancers.