Beyondmedia Education envisions a compassionate and just society where universal access to media tools and information equip women and youth to document and communicate their stories, serve as educators and role models for others, influence public policy, and generate social transformation. Beyondmedia Education's mission is to collaborate with under-served and under-represented women, youth and communities to tell their stories, connect their stories to the world around us, and organize for social justice through the creation and distribution of media arts. Beyondmedia Education works with communities most in need of media education and services because of economic and/or social exclusion. Since 1996, we have partnered with over 100 community-based organizations and schools to produce media arts on subjects ranging from girls' activism to women's incarceration.
Beyondmedia is founded on the belief that the making of media and the making of relationships are indivisible; that our work of sharing stories grows out of the relationships developed through the making of media; and that making media can be the medium for community building toward a just society.
Beyondmedia generates images that are inclusive, realistically depicting the diversity of people in the world.
Beyondmedia privileges storytelling and storytellers: every speaker is a narrator.
Beyondmedia is stylistically mixed, produced from multiple perspectives, improvisational and intentionally open-ended.
Beyondmedia is not mass media, it's "low tech": whenever possible, we use available light, ambient sound, minimal equipment, and little or no crews.
Beyondmedia works collaboratively to create media that is healing and revealing of diverse expressions of human connectedness that are usually missing in conventional media.
Beyondmedia places respect for the subject above all else (the "golden rule").
Beyondmedia reflects the people behind the camera as well as those in front of it.
Beyondmedia strives to break down boundaries that are maintained through so-called "professional standards" controlling expression and containing resistance.
Beyondmedia promotes a world in which power is shared and each person is heard as a speaker with narrative agency.
Beyondmedia defines narrative agency as the linchpin of personal and global transformation: to frame and speak one's point of view, and derive response.
Beyondmedia understands the role of art in the world as presenting the broadest range of images, such that each person has the opportunity to see her or his reflection somewhere in that mirror.
Beyondmedia is committed to the free expression of all people, including us. top
Executive Director, Salome Chasnoff.
Salome Chasnoff is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, installation artist and media activist who has been guiding Beyondmedia’s artistic production since founding it in 1996. Her strong commitment to using media for liberation education and progressive organizing has drawn like-minded people over the years to shape Beyondmedia’s distinctive artistic and political vision. Salome has an M.A. in Theatre and Performance and a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. She has been an arts educator for more than 20 years in university and community settings, and has produced more than 25 works, several dedicated to expanding media access to the diverse stories of women and youth. She is a single mother with three fabulous children. top
ASSOCIATE Director, JOANNE ARCHIBALD.
Before coming to Beyondmedia in 2007, Joanne worked at Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) for 14 years, beginning as Advocacy Coordinator, and then working as Advocacy Project Director and Associate Director. She serves on the Advisory Board of Grace House, a transitional program for women exiting the prison system, and on the Institutional Review Board for Northwestern University, as an advisor on prison research. Finally, after 27 years and seven schools, she earned her BA in 1994 from Northeastern Illinois University, but her greatest and most rewarding learning experience has been raising her son. top
Development manager, Ronit Bezalel.
Ronit Bezalel, Development Manager, has been creating social issue documentaries for over fifteen years. Ronit began her career at the National Film Board of Canada, where she directed When Shirley Met Florence (1994). Her award-winning film, Voices of Cabrini: Remaking Chicago's Public Housing (1999), received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award to catalyze dialogue about affordable housing issues in 11 different Chicago neighborhoods. Newsweek magazine selected Ronit as one of the "Top 10 Women of the 21st Century" (Jan 8, 2001) for this work. Ronit has a M.F.A. from Columbia College Chicago, and a B.A.from McGill University in Montreal. In her spare time, she can be found tearing up the mountain biking trails. top
Project ManageR, Dannette
Hoarde.
women and prison: a site for resistance.
In the past Dannette has worked for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and Family Support America (FSA). At FSA she worked to assist with the planning of a national conference about children of incarcerated parents. In 2001, as a member of the Visible Voices support group, Hoarde was involed in the creation of Beyondmedia's video What We Leave Behind as a workshop participant and camerawoman. An experienced public speaker, Hoarde received a scholarship to attend the 2005 National Roundtable on women in Prison and serves on the Board of Directors of CLAIM. She recieved her Associate's degree from Robert Morris College in 2006. top
program staff, Jessi Lee Jackson.
Jessi is a graduate student in Counseling Psychology at Northwestern University and a student therapist at the Family Institute. She also teaches English for the St. Leonard's Adult High School program. In the past, she has facilitated a leadership development program for formerly incarcerated young women and organized striking hotel workers. She earned her B.A. in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Cornell University. In her spare time, Jessi enjoys scrabble, culinary improvisation, and city biking. top
Youth Outreach Coordinator, Zaida Sanabia.
Zaida Sanabia began learning video production when she participated in a Beyondmedia workshop at Horizon's Young Women's Drop-In Program in 2001. In 2002 Beyondmedia Education partnered with Sanabia to produce A Fish (Almost) Eaten by a Shark. She has just completed her first year of college and she's begun working on a new Beyondmedia project, Can LGBTQ + School = Safe?, gathering stories of anti-gay violence and sexuality-based discrimination from students in Illinois schools. Most recently, Sanabia won Chicago Foundation for Women's Ripple Effect Award as "a shining example of the triumph of women and girls when given opportunity" and the Aixa Diaz Scholarship for her work in creating safe schools. top
Distribution Coordinator, Simon Fisher.
Simon Fisher is a student at UW-Milwaukee pursuing an MA in History with a certificate in Women's and Gender Studies. He is one-half of the Chicago-based performance duet Actor Slash Model who is currently filming a documentary featuring interviews and live performance footage of transgender and gender-variant musicians from across the country. He has an undergraduate degree in Women's Studies and English Literature from DePaul University and was a lead organizer of Camp Trans from 1999-2005. Simon is co-creator and co-curator of Chicago's bi-monthly series Threat Level: An Evening of Queer Shorts. He plays the ukulele and sings sweet love songs with a Tennessee twang. top
Davey Ball began learning website development while publishing his own internationally focused arts and music magazine onlinecalled QueerKit in 2003. He studied Photography at the University of Central Florida and has since been published online in Spark Magazine and in print as a contributor to and Chicago representative of Bust Magazine. Before moving to Chicago he worked at the Minnesota AIDS Project doing HIV prevention, counseling and testing on-site at various bars and clubs throughout and city. In Chicago he has worked to organize a monthly gathering called Chances Dances as an effort to mobilize the marginalized gay, lesbian and trans communities by creating a safe space for them to socialize. top
Tara Malik received her BFA in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology and has used photography as a tool for expression, education, and activism for the past fifteen years. An educator and organizer of urban youth photography programs, she helped form The New Orleans Kid Camera Project, a community based arts program created to address the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on children returning home to New Orleans. Tara is co-founder of One Bird and a Masters candidate at Columbia College, Chicago in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management specializing in Arts in Youth and Community Development. top
Program Staff, Rebecca Connie.
rebecca s. a. connie is currently a film and video MFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago. She strives to use art as a tool for activism, education, and communal solidarity. Classically trained in the theatre arts, she received a BA in media studies and anthropology from DePaul University. She has primarily worked with youth and young adults for Chicago Public Schools, Gallery 37, DePaul University, and Columbia College. She has produced both narrative and documentary films, covering such topics as autism, urban education, and contemporary materialism. rebecca is currently working on an independent documentary concerning the idealistic notions of motherhood and mental health. top
Mollie Dowling, works at OAI, Inc., a non-profit worker training organization as a Program Manager for workers who handle hazardous materials. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies and Asian Studies from Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago in 2002, and a Masters in Arts in Community Development from North Park University, Chicago in 2005. Her graduate research was a documentary focused on the effects of prisons on the economic development of rural Illinois communities. She was especially interested in the community organizing strategies employed by rural community leaders to effect positive and sustainable economic growth. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Muslim Women Resource Center and a member of the Advisory Board for the United Auto Workers NIEHS Hazardous Materials Training Programs. top
Laurie Fuller is an associate professor and the women's studies coordinator at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). In her seven years at NEIU she was instrumental in the creation of a women's studies major, making NEIU the first Illinois state school with an undergraduate major, (approved in 2001). She was the co-author and program director for the "Empowering Women For Life-Long Success Through Computer Expertise" grant. A four year and $160,000 Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), US Department of Education, grant to improve technology skills for women students at NEIU, begun Fall 1999. Dr. Fuller has received 2 faculty excellence awards at NEIU and was National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) Women of Color Caucus Service Award 2003, presented for outstanding service in promoting the development of women of color scholars and activists. She is an active member of the Anti-White Supremacy Taskforce of NWSA and of the Program Administrators and Development Committee. Her research areas include women and technology, the social construction of race, specifically whiteness and feminist pedagogy. She has published articles in edited books and journals, most recently in Frontiers and the Journal of International Women's Studies. In her free time she reads, lifts weights and plays ultimate frisbee. top
Michaela Purdueis a Community Initiatives Organizer for Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), an organization that combats poverty, racism, and anti-Semitism in partnership with Chicago's diverse communities. Prior to her work with JCUA, Michaela was a field organizer for Amnesty International, USA, where she mobilized activists and communities on local and global human rights issues. As a certified teacher and leader in Re-evaluation Counseling, an international peer counseling and liberation organization, she led classes and workshops on eliminating racism, developing peer-counseling skills among youth and adults, and building a network of allies for both constituencies. Through the project United to End Racism (UER) she was a delegate to the national White Privilege Conference for three consecutive years, and led the UER delegation to this conference in 2006. Also through UER she was a delegate to the United Nation's World Conference against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa in August 2001 and has since participated on several delegations to various countries in Africa, training community members in peer counseling and leadership development. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychological Services and Human Development and a Certificate in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University in 1999. top
Rachael Liberman just completed her Master's degree in Media Studies from New School University and moved to Chicago where she is an independent research assistant and freelance journalist. For the past two years, Rachael has worked with Dr. Chyng Sun, Master Teacher and Coordinator of Media Studies Concentration in Social Sciences. She also conducted research for Chicago Tribune Music Editor, Gret Kot, on his upcoming book on digital media and the rock industry. In addition to freelance work, Liberman is actively pursuing entrance into a Doctorate program to undertake media representation-related research. top
Serena Worthington is the Director of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders) at Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s most comprehensive LGBT community center. Prior to this she was the Director of Life Enrichment at Norwood Crossing, a not-for-profit long-term care facility on the northwest side of Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago AIDS Foundation Special Projects Committee on HIV and Aging, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Aging, the Cook County States Attorney’s LGBT Advisory Council and the Community Advisory Committee for the Harold Washington College Gerontology Program. Ms. Worthington received her Masters of Art in Art Therapy from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. Her undergraduate degree is from Fairhaven College where she completed an interdisciplinary concentration in art and cross-cultural psychology. She is an artist and licensed professional counselor. top
Lee Ann Norman is an educator, artist, and cultural worker who is interested in the ways race and ethnicity, class, and culture collide in contemporary art and how those interactions affect cultural policies. Currently, Lee Ann works as a senior arts coordinator for the city of Chicago and teaches an arts survey course to youth. In addition, she recently deepened her involvement with Insight Arts by joining the board of directors. Ms. Norman has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts Management degree from Columbia College Chicago. top
