Jacob’s Pillow has revealed that Norton Owen, its Director of Preservation and a prominent figure in the dance community, will be honored with the 2025 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, marking his 50th year with the organization. Owen will receive the award at the Season Opening Gala in Becket on Saturday, June 21.
The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award is presented each year to an artist of exceptional vision and achievement, and carries a cash prize which the artist can use as they choose. As a beloved archivist and mentor, and a founder of the award-winning digital archive platform Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, Owen has curated decades of resources, events, and creative collections for public access, providing entry points into the vast Archives at Jacob’s Pillow. He is a celebrated leader in the dance field internationally, inspiring generations of scholars and dance enthusiasts.
Norton Owen joins a list of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award honorees that include Misty Copeland, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Dormeshia, Ronald K. Brown, Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Camille A. Brown, Liz Lerman, and Faye Driscoll, among others. The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award was established in 2007 and is philanthropically supported by an anonymous donor.
“Norton is a national treasure,” said Pamela Tatge, Executive and Artistic Director at Jacob’s Pillow. “As the first and only Director of Preservation we’ve ever had, he has thought deeply about how to document and preserve our ephemeral artform and ensure that our Archives are truly accessible to audiences. He was one of the first dance archivists to conceive of how we might provide online access to our holdings, and he has trained and mentored archivists and scholars from around the world. On top of that, he is a living encyclopedia of dance.
“Very few people hold such extensive history with such care,” Tatge added, “but he is loved for his ability to tailor the information he shares in a way that resonates with each individual he speaks with. He is a gifted community-maker, and is truly one of the most respected people in our field. It is truly an honor to recognize the key role he has played in the advancement of Jacob’s PIllow over the past 50 years.”
Owen expressed his gratitude for receiving this year’s Dance Award with a nod to his past. “I never imagined that I would be considered for the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, so this comes as a remarkable surprise,” he said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled. When we first opened the Archives to the public in 1996, we had no idea how it might be received. So, to see how this resource has been embraced by our visitors and artists has been truly gratifying.”
Norton Owen has been associated with Jacob’s Pillow since 1976, when he first attended The School on a scholarship at 22 years old. The role of Director of Preservation was created for him in 1990, and he has since organized what Alastair Macaulay, former chief dance critic of The New York Times, has called “one of the world’s most remarkable dance archives.” The collection is housed in Blake’s Barn, an 18th-century building on the Pillow campus that invites visitors to explore the history of Jacob’s Pillow and the artists who have contributed to its legacy. Blake’s Barn comprises a large exhibition gallery, an outdoor area for lectures and talks called Sommerspace, and the Norton Owen Reading Room, where visitors can watch videos, learn from exhibits in the permanent collection, browse the library, and access decades of materials.
“I always hope to create meaningful connections between artists and audiences,” Owen said, “whether that happens through an exhibition, a talk, a visit to the Archives, or online engagement. The most meaningful connections occur when we can help the public feel the synergy between past and present, which is at the root of the Pillow experience.”
The Season Opening Gala on June 21st will include a night of celebratory performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre, followed by dinner and dancing. In addition to the presentation of the Dance Award, the Gala will feature The School at Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble performing a world premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a performance of Talley Beatty’s Mourner’s Bench by New York City Ballet principal Taylor Stanley, and more.
In-person tickets to the Season Opening Gala are now on sale. Additionally, the Gala performance will be livestreamed and accessible for free, with the option to donate. To learn more and reserve Gala tickets and tables, visit jacobspillow.org/gala
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