The Imagination Museum announces co-commission for dance artists in the East of England

3rd June 2026

We are thrilled to announce that applications for our second co-commission for dance artists based in the East of England are now open.

Delivered in partnership with Ipswich Museum and DanceEast, the successful artist will receive a fee of £6,000, production support from the partners, 3 online artist coaching sessions with dance/museums specialist Sara Wookey, and film/photographic documentation of the work.

Building on a longstanding relationship between the Ipswich Museum and DanceEast, the co-commission offers artists the opportunity to create a new dance work in response to Ipswich Museum’s new Journeys Gallery, one of eight new gallery spaces being developed as part of the museum’s major redevelopment, which is planned to be completed in 2027.

Artists are encouraged to create a new dance work that connects with the theme of journeys, taking inspiration from local and global stories at the heart of Ipswich Museum’s permanent collection, as well as people’s more personal connection with journeys into and out of Ipswich.

At the heart of the co-commission is community collaboration, with the successful artist working closely with up to four local groups including young people attending supplementary schools and members of groups supporting migrant and refugee communities.

Following a creation period from February – May 2027, final performances are expected to take place shortly after the museum’s reopening, planned for Spring 2027.

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.

For full information about the callout and to apply, please see: https://imaginationmuseum.co.uk/eastengland-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.