Connecting Through Time: 50 Seasons with Norton Owen

“Norton is a national treasure.” “He is an encyclopedia of dance.” “Who needs a database when you have Norton?”
These are some of the comments that I hear often about the wonder that is Norton Owen.
In the winter of 2015 as I was in the interview process to become the Executive and Artistic Director at Jacob’s Pillow, I arrived at Blake’s Barn and met Norton. As we walked the campus, sharing an umbrella, I looked over at his radiant face, his inimitable smile, the glint in his eye, and I knew I was in the presence of someone extraordinary. His sense of awe as he told me about Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers and the founding days of the Pillow; his joy and pride as he recounted the caliber of artists who had been trained at The School; his sadness as he spoke of Marge Champion’s son Blake and how we came to inherit the Barn…his devotion, care and deep love for the Pillow were so authentic, so fresh for a person who at that point had spent over 40 years working for the same organization, I was astonished.
He made me appreciate the magnificence of the Pillow’s history and its contributions to the field of dance and to the world. He does this for everyone lucky enough to stop in to see what’s inside the red barn before they go to pick up their tickets. Norton is there to welcome everyone with open arms.
Norton has thought deeply about what it means to archive this ephemeral artform for generations to come. Under his stewardship, the archive truly lives by being accessible to in-person visitors as well as online and available to the world.
I celebrate his 50 years at Jacob’s Pillow with deep gratitude for all he has done and is doing for artists, audiences, scholars, dance faculty, students, and dance enthusiasts. They understand that we at Jacob’s Pillow are the holders of their history now and forever.

— Pamela Tatge, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow since 2016

Photo by Hayim Heron

I wasn’t overwhelmed—at first. But when I started digging in and seeing how vast Norton’s accomplishment has been, I realized how difficult it would be to represent all aspects of it. I had to find the right number and choice of items that would reveal Norton’s gifts as curator, historian, designer, and inspiration for the future. Everything he did was ignited by an impulsive, passionate urge to preserve. As Norton said, “I didn’t have a vision… I was following some kind of calling.”
In making decisions for this exhibit, I was guided by three principles that Norton either spelled out or hinted at: first, the idea of juxtaposing two photos as a way of illuminating similarities and differences between artists and eras; second, a sense that the exhibits should celebrate dance, and that we should, in Norton’s words, “uplift and honor” the artists; third, a feeling that the historical element is part of what makes the Pillow unique. Using these principles as a springboard, I combined old and new in ways that I hope will give audiences a fuller experience.
I have known Norton since 1984, when, as Director of Educational Programs, he invited me to teach a week of postmodern dance. I returned in 1987 when Liz Thompson commissioned me to choreograph a work in the Ted Shawn Theatre. In 1990, Sam Miller asked me to serve as his Associate Director.
During the next three years, I directed the Jacob’s Pillow at Bennington Program and curated a few shows in the Studio/Theatre (later named the Doris Duke Theatre). For me, working on this exhibit is a homecoming, an opportunity to express my love of the Pillow in yet another channel.
As Norton has said, “If we only attend to what’s happening now, that’s a narrow universe…The past and the present are in dialogue with each other, which makes it more dynamic.” It has been my honor to participate in this dialogue.

— Wendy Perron, Educator, writer, historian

Photo by Julie Lemberger

Norton cherishes the people who have been part of the Pillow’s story. They included Jess Meeker, Ted Shawn’s pianist and composer; Barton Mumaw, lead dancer for Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers; Jane Sherman, former Denishawn dancer and author; dance notation pioneer Ann Hutchinson Guest; writer/dancer Deborah Jowitt; dancer Marge Champion; dancer/choreographer Donald McKayle, and many others. He welcomes the rest of us, so that we, too, become part of the Pillow story. (The word “griot,” which is the West African term for storyteller, has been used by both Sali Ann Kriegsman and Ella Baff to describe Norton.)

In 2007, to celebrate 75 years of the Pillow, Norton invited various artists to jot down a memorable moment from their time here, drawing upon images from the Pillow Archives. For this year’s edition, we repeat some of those first examples and augment the Moments with current artists. The final burst of written memories includes 19 “Norton Moments,” gathered from people who worked with Norton on specific projects.

As a curator, Norton has a keen eye for how to organize images for the greatest visual impact. He makes decisions based on compositional form, vitality of image, and how it relates to his chosen theme—and of course, who is dancing in the picture. From the first exhibit in Blake’s Barn, which was suggested by Artistic Director Sam Miller in 1992, Norton juxtaposed pairs of photographs, always with a curiosity for how two images across time could resonate with each other. That exhibit was called Images on Common Ground, and the concept of commonality through time has recurred often throughout Norton’s curations.

The recurring device of pairing “then” and “now” was fertile for me too. It was a special delight to play with possibilities as I digitally roamed through the Pillow’s visual treasures. I marveled at how two images, completely different in era, genre, and cultural context, could still share a connecting thread or aura.

—Wendy Perron, 2025

While the Pillow employed a staff photographer almost every summer, Norton had a special relationship with several nationally known dance photographers. Seen here are a series of iconic images by Jack Mitchell, Lois Greenfield, and Rose Eichenbaum. They have each enjoyed multiple exhibits of their work here.

Norton is a trailblazer. There was no path for bringing archival treasures into our daily lives. When he started mining dance history, it was on a whim, an urge, an instinct. As he said,