2024 Knight new work

The Movement Project has been selected as a 2024 Knight New Work grantee—an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that supports artists and organizations in Akron, Miami, and Detroit who use technology to innovate how art is created, shared, and experienced. In Akron, $250,000 was awarded to three local recipients, including The Movement Project.


techMOVES: the cyclical relationship in creative practice

The Movement Project is bringing together a team of artists and technologists to create accessible, low-cost digital tools for dance artists. The initiative is a collaboration between The Movement Project in Northeast Ohio, choreographer and educator dedicated to Black liberation practices Miryam G. Johnson in Detroit, and LA-based designer and human-computer interaction expert Lauren Bedal. The goal is to reduce barriers in the dance field by offering open-source technologies that can be integrated into daily artistic practices.

The project will develop a suite of web-based tools that can be used at various stages of the choreographic process across ideation and concept development, rehearsal and performance. The technology will be developed in collaboration with dance artists and educators, who will participate in a series of workshops to help shape the direction and design of these tools, ensuring they align with real creative needs.

The Movement Project believes that in order to successfully provide access to tech-based tools and resources to artists, we must steward the groundwork for cross-city collaboration and identify barriers our individual and collective communities face. Advancing the dissemination of live dance performance and technology necessitates dismantling outdated systems and investing in sustainable ecosystems that empower community-driven innovation

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Meet the Team

Megan L. Gargano

Artistic Director & Founder | TMP

Elyse Morckel

Associate Director & Company Member | TMP

Liz Conway

Operations Coordinator & Company Member | TMP

Lauren Bedal

Design, Product Lead at Archetype AI

Miryam G. Johnson

Dance Artist & Co-Founder of Collective Sweat Detroit