Inspired by the special exhibition Modern Women: Visionary Artists, the Museum partnered with the Hartford Dance Collective for a six-month intensive residency starting in January 2025. The Collective bridges the gap between dance and community by curating unique and accessible performances led by female identifying choreographers that foster artistic expression, connection, and inclusivity. This special collaboration had three components that created deep layers of programming and impact.

The first component of the residency was free weekly movement workshops. These workshops took place each Saturday morning in Stanley Works Center or galleries throughout the museums. Each month, one of the dancers from the Hartford Dance Collective led choreography workshops inspired by the art in the Modern Women exhibition. Participants were encouraged to interact with art in new ways as they translated visual elements they observed, emotions felt, and memories triggered through movement prompts. We received an outpouring of passionate participant evaluations for this series and it was gratifying to see how deeply this new programming format resonated with our visitors.

Building on the weekly movement series, each Hartford Dance Collective dancer and choreographer created a short solo performance that they performed in “pop-up” gallery performances on the last Saturday of their month. These performances were well-attended by visitors and activated galleries in new ways.

The Hartford Dance Collective residency culminated in two spectacular sold-out group performances on June 5 and 7, 2025, featuring five brand new creations of choreography by Jillian Cusano, Rosanna Karabetsos, Gabby Dominguez, Michelle Montano, and Emily Daly. Each piece featured 2-5 dancers and was inspired by an artist featured in the Modern Women exhibition. The powerful performances were interspersed with short documentaries featuring each choreographer sharing the inspiration behind the work and connections to the art work. It was a special event and a fitting celebration for a joyful residency that helped us understand art in new ways.