Organically, Makan found itself run collectively by Ola El-Khalidi, Samah Hijawi and Diala Khasawnih. Working together for years in varying capacities, the group’s collectiveness became more apparent around designing and running Shatana Workshop which started in 2007. The Collective, true to the spirit of Makan, was an open, curious and critical group that initiated and sought encounters, often around food, engaging social-political concerns with a focus on the role of art spaces in changing contexts. 

The members of the collective presently act as advisors. 

Ola El-Khalidi was born 1974 in Kuwait, where she lived until her family moved to Amman in 1990. Ola initiated Makan in 2003; she continues to work as an arts organiser and collaborator and is interested in creating intimate and playful spaces for conversation, production and action. She holds an MA in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts (2012), and an MA in Management from the University of Surrey (1998). She is also a member of the newly born group The Rocca Family. She currently lives in San Francisco. 
 
Samah Hijawi is an artist and researcher and has collaborated with Makan since 2005, and co-curated The River Has Two Banks 2013-2015. Her multi-media works have been shown in spaces internationally including Apex Art-New York; Darat al Funun-Amman; Beirut Art Center-Beirut; Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt-Berlin; Birzeit University Museum-Ramallah; Luisiana Museum-Copenhagen; and The Onasis Center-Athens. She lives between Amman and Brussels.

Diala Khasawnih, born in Amman in 1975, is living for the time being in San Francisco working in arts and language. Food and humour often find their way to the center of her art practice. Diala fell in love with Makan at first sight in 2004, she is also a member of The Rocca Family arts group.