MAKEDA SCHOOL MISSION
MAKEDA SCHOOL offers an opportunity to engage in a collaborative learning process that is often unavailable to individuals outside of a traditional academic setting. Grounded in liberatory and Black feminist educational praxis, MAKEDA SCHOOL aims to engage individuals who are curious, reflective, and committed to the life-long practice of learning. We are an intentional multi-ethnic, intergenerational, and inclusive space centering the literary and cultural contributions of past and contemporary BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ writers, scholars, artists, and activists. While all are welcome to register and attend our programs, hate speech and harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Upcoming Courses Spring/Summer 2025!
Say Your Name: Self-Portrait Experimental Video Workshop for Femme, Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary Folx!
Course Schedule: Tuesday, June 10 - July 8, 2025 (5 consecutive Tuesdays + Final Project Screening on Tuesday, July 29, 2025)
**Course meets virtually.**
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 PM EST
Registration opens on Monday, May 3, 2025!
**Sliding Scale Course Fees: $195 - 225
**Partial payment and installment options are also accepted on a case-by-case basis. Full and partial scholarships are also available on a limited basis. Refunds are made at the discretion of the MAKEDA SCHOOL. Discounts are also available for monthly subscribers!
Course Overview
The Say Your Name Self-Portrait Experimental Video Workshop is an opportunity for self-identified femme, queer, trans, and non-binary folx to explore the fundamentals of video making through producing an experimental self-portrait video project. A self-portrait video is distinct from a selfie and a personal interview in that the goal is to explore the inner parts of the self and ways to narrate that through moving images. Using video for self-portraiture can be a powerful tool for exploring identity and taking up space in ways not always accessible to folx with queer spectrum identities.
Participants will learn basic skills in framing, composition, editing, and storytelling, and use video as a way to communicate something unique about themselves, resulting in a completed self-portrait video between 1 and 5 minutes in length. Each session covers a different aspect of the video-making process. Weekly assignments will be shared in class, leading to work-in-progress presentations, until the final project screening in Session 6.
This class seeks to create a nurturing and interactive space for femme, queer, trans and non-binary folx to make work in community with others in a supportive, fun and creative environment.
No previous experience in media production is required to attend this workshop. It is recommended that participants have access to a camera, such as a smartphone or a digital camera that can record video, and basic video editing software like iMovie, Adobe Premiere, or other open-source options.
*Due to seating limitations and the interactive nature of the class, it is encouraged that registrants attend all sessions. If a participant needs to miss a session, they will have access to the class recordings through a dedicated electronic folder.
Feel free to email any questions to info@makedaarts.com.
Seating is limited! Registration closes on Friday, May 30th!
Register here!
bell hooks's Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center
Course Schedule: Saturday, July 12 - August 16, 2025 (6 consecutive Saturdays). **Course meets virtually.**
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM EST
Registration opens on Monday, June 2, 2025!
**Sliding Scale Seminar Fees: $275-450
**Partial payment and installment options are also accepted on a case-by-case basis. Full and partial scholarships are also available on a limited basis. Refunds are made at the discretion of the MAKEDA SCHOOL. Discounts are also available for monthly subscribers!
Feel free to email any questions to info@makedaarts.com.
Past Courses
bell hooks's Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (March 2 - April 6, 2024)
Other Countries: Black Gay Voices
(July 16 - August 20, 2022)
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave (1845)
(October 15 - December 10, 2022)
Say Your Name: Self-Portrait Experimental Video Workshop for Femme, Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary Folx
(Tuesday Section - October 18 - November 15, 2022)
(Thursday Section - October 20 - November 17, 2022)
More Testimonials
Say Your Name: Self-Portrait Experimental Video Workshop for Femme/Queer/Trans/Non-binary Folx!
"Kat Cheairs is an incredible instructor, she fuses deep knowledge about filmmaking, art, and queer studies, along with compassion, love, and support for her students."
Say Your Name: Self-Portrait Video
Workshop Participant (Fall 2022)
"I have been wanting to take a course on film and even better that it was from a queer perspective."
Say Your Name: Self-Portrait Video
Workshop Participant (Fall 2022)
bell hook's Feminist Theory:
From Margin to Center Seminar
"bell hooks was always on my to-read list, but I hadn’t had a chance to dive into her works. With the goal of expanding my knowledge of foundational black feminist texts, I knew right away that I’d want to take this course."
From Margin to Center
Seminar Participant (Spring 2024)
"I wanted to read more bell hooks. In a time of feeling hopeless about the future, I've been looking toward writers who envision alternate ways of being and thinking."
From Margin to Center
Seminar Participant (Spring 2024)