The Imagination Museum announces new co-commissions programme using dance to respond to museum collections with communities

The Imagination Museum, a national network connecting dance, community and heritage sector professionals, today announces the launch of its new co-commissioning programme, supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. This ambitious initiative will explore how the network can support museums and heritage sites to collaborate with dance artists and their local communities to create original dance works for site specific locations.

The first co-commission, now open for London-based artists, is being delivered with the Horniman Museum and Gardens and Trinity Laban. The successful artist will receive a fee of £6,000, production support from the partners, a choreographic assistant, 3 online artist coaching sessions with dance/museums specialist Sara Wookey and film/photographic documentation of the work.

Details of the second co-commission, which will be offered in partnership with Ipswich Museum and DanceEast, will be announced in early June 2026.

Building on a longstanding relationship between the Horniman and Trinity Laban, the first co-commission offers artists the opportunity to create a new dance work in response to the Horniman’s Nature + Love project, which looks to inspire a greater understanding and appreciation for the world we all share.

At the heart of the co-commission is community collaboration, with the successful artist working closely with adult groups who attend regular sessions at Trinity Laban as collaborators and performers in the work.

Following a creation period from January - March 2027, final performances will take place as part of the Horniman’s Spring Fair 2027. Performances are expected to take place outdoors in the Horniman Gardens – which offer both award-winning and newly redeveloped spaces – with the potential for additional performances inside the museum.

This co-commission programme forms a key part of The Imagination Museum’s mission to champion the role of dance in the museum and heritage sector. It will enable the network to test new models of collaboration, support artists to engage in an open and exploratory process, and develop learning to inform future partnerships between dance artists, museum, heritage sites and communities across the UK.

Launched in 2019, The Imagination Museum is a national network for professionals working across dance, community, and heritage sectors. Through events, resources, and collaborative opportunities, the network has connected with hundreds of dance artists and heritage sites, sharing knowledge and advocating for the transformative potential of dance in museums and heritage sites.

More information about the second co-commission in partnership with Ipswich Museums and DanceEast will be announced shortly.

For more information, see https://imaginationmuseum.co.uk

To apply for the London callout, see: https://imaginationmuseum.co.uk/london-callout-2026/

The Imagination Museum Co-commissions 2026-7 are being supported financially using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the Horniman Museum and Gardens, Trinity Laban, Ipswich Museum, DanceEast and also by Made By Katie Green, current managing organisation for The Imagination Museum dance/heritage network.