The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is pleased to present a large-scale exhibition exploring Martha Graham and her dance company, Martha Graham: The Mother of Psychological Dance.
Opening May 20, the exhibit pulls rich materials from the Jerome Robbins Dance Division’s Martha Graham archive, which the Library for the Performing Arts acquired from the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2020. The exhibition will also display original set pieces designed specifically for the dance company by Isamu Noguchi, and costumes designed by Martha Graham.
Free and open to the public, the exhibit is curated by choreographer, writer, and educator Jack Ferver through November 7, 2026.
“The Jerome Robbins Dance Division acquired the Martha Graham Dance Company’s archive in 2020, and delivering an exhibition that does justice to Graham’s artistry and intellect has been a goal since we received the collection. I’m particularly pleased that we have been able to work with Jack Ferver on this project, who is a former Dance Research Fellow of the Library, and deeply connected to Graham pedagogy. For those of us in the dance field, Graham is a giant to whom we all owe a debt. We can never repay her but it’s important that we don’t forget all that she gave—my hope is that this exhibition is a reminder of what made Graham so special,” said Linda Murray, the Anne H. Bass Curator of the Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
“Martha Graham’s transformative approach to making the inner life of the psyche visible through the body continues to shape culture today. It is a tremendous societal gift that the Jerome Robbins Dance Division holds the Martha Graham Dance Company archive. When audiences come to this exhibition at the Library for the Performing Arts, they will encounter a uniquely intimate view of Martha Graham’s genius. I hope visitors—whether deeply familiar with her legacy, or discovering it for the first time—are drawn into a meaningful relationship with her work, not only in its historical significance, but also in its enduring artistic and emotional resonance,” said Jack Ferver, curator of the exhibition.
"It is an honor to partner with the Library for the Performing Arts as we celebrate the Martha Graham Dance Company’s centennial—we couldn’t think of any better way to highlight our work this year than through this exciting exhibition. We are grateful to the Jerome Robbins Dance Division for their dedicated stewardship of Martha’s archives. Their work ensures that Martha’s revolutionary contributions to American culture are not just preserved in history, but remain a dynamic influence for generations to come,” said Janet Eilber, Artistic Director of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
The Martha Graham Dance Company was founded in 1926 and the Library’s centennial exhibition traces the arc of Graham’s groundbreaking career, centering her visionary approach to dance as psychological expression. Graham transformed the dancing body into a vessel for inner life, using movement to externalize emotion, memory, and the unconscious. By putting the raw psychology of the individual and social collective on stage, she redefined what movement could express—not just in dance, but across all art forms.
In partnership with the Martha Graham Dance Company’s ongoing centennial celebration, the exhibit offers insight into Graham’s genius and her legacy. Several programs at the Library for the Performing Arts, located at Lincoln Center, will accompany the exhibition that runs through November 7, 2026.
Born in 1894, Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Initially recognized as an influential dancer, Graham’s dance company redefined how dance looked and was perceived.
A household name, Graham is also recognized as “the mother of modern dance” for her choreographic masterworks. Her signature “Graham technique,” was the first of its kind that stood in contrast to classical ballet. The technique continues to be used by dance companies around the globe.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is grateful to dance educator and advocate Jody Gottfried Arnhold for her visionary commitment to making dance and dance education accessible to all. Martha Graham: The Mother of Psychological Dance would not be possible without the generous support of Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation.
Additional support is provided by The Jerome Robbins Foundation, the Anne H. Bass Foundation, Leslie Tonner Curtis, Allen Greenberg, and Edward A. Brill.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.
About The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts was founded in 1965 at Lincoln Center, and is dedicated to enhancing access to its rich archives of dance, theater, music, and recorded sound—to amplify all voices and support the creative process. As one of The New York Public Library’s renowned research centers—and one of the world’s largest collections solely focused on the performing arts—the Library’s materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, film screenings, and performances. The collection at the Library for the Performing Arts includes upwards of eight million items, notable for their extraordinary range and diversity—from 11th-century music, to 20th-century manuscripts, to contemporary hip-hop dance.
About Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company has been a leader in the evolving art form of modern dance since its founding in 1926. It is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company.
Today, the Company is embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. With programs that unite the work of choreographers across time within a rich historical and thematic narrative, the Company is actively working to create new platforms for contemporary dance and multiple points of access for audiences.
Since its inception, the Martha Graham Dance Company has received international acclaim from audiences in more than 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The Company has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, Covent Garden, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at the base of the Great Pyramids in Egypt and in the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus theater on the Acropolis in Athens. In addition, the Company has also produced several award-winning films broadcast on PBS and around the world.
