Parable of Portals: The Acorn Archives

Exhibition

June 24 — August 23, 2026

Doris Duke Theatre Gallery

Parable of Portals; Meena Murugesan photo

This artist installation is part of an ongoing transmedia “performance constellation” developed in long-term collaboration between d. Sabela grimes and Meena Murugesan. This work integrates dance, sound, video, sculpture, and emerging technologies to explore the prophetic insights of the Parable series by Black science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, particularly the Earthseed doctrine, where change, adaptability, and collective becoming shape the conditions for survival. Through collaged moving images, textured soundscapes, and sculptural elements, Parable of Portals: The Acorn Archives offers audiences an immersive and multisensory experience centered on Black speculative thought, embodied Afrofuturism, and collective imagination driven by movement.

In addition to co-creating this piece, d. Sabela grimes will be Artist Faculty for The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s summer program Dance as Social Transformation: Kinetic Visioning.

Festival Exhibit Hours

Wednesday: 12:30pm–30 minutes after last curtain
Thursday: 12:30pm–30 minutes after last curtain
Friday: 12:30pm–30 minutes after last curtain
Saturday: 12:30pm–30 minutes after last curtain
Sunday: 12:30pm–30 minutes after last curtain

View event Martha Graham: Call to Action

Martha Graham in "Immediate Tragedy;" photo courtesy of company

Exhibition

Martha Graham: Call to Action

In tandem with Martha Graham Dance Company’s performance run, Jacob’s Pillow will host a summer-long exhibition in Blake’s Barn exploring Graham’s artistic and political voice during the 1930s, curated by former Graham dancer and scholar Oliver Tobin.

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View event Illuminating the American Experience: Groundbreaking U.S. Women in Dance

An image of the outside of the Ted Shawn Theatre on a sunny day.

Exhibition

Illuminating the American Experience: Groundbreaking U.S. Women in Dance

This exhibit features women whose creative practice illuminates the American experience of their times and reveals new possibilities for the generations who follow.

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Archives/Norton Owen Reading Room

Open Tuesday through Sunday, noon through final curtain during the Festival

Drop into a relaxed space to browse books, watch archival videos, explore historic programs and photographs, and find treasures from the Stephan Driscoll Collection in our newly added Special Collections Room. Come lose yourself in the world of dance.

Learn More Explore Dance History Online

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Jacob's Pillow is located in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts in the town of Becket. The 225-acre National Historic Landmark is within easy driving distance of Boston, New York, Albany, Burlington, and Hartford.

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