Life & Work with Mona Gazala of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mona Gazala.

Hi Mona, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Thanks, VoyageOhio. My name is Mona, but you can also pronounce it Muna, the Arabic way. I am an artist, writer and filmmaker, but I have also been in abusive relationships, been a struggling single mother, a low-wage service industry worker, community organizer, and a later-in-life grad student. Add to that, a descendent of Palestinian Nakba survivors. All of these experiences have “radicalized” me, as they say; which is a silly word for caring about justice and the humane treatment of fellow humans beings.

I’ve lived my entire life in Ohio – most of it in Cleveland – but also in rural Lorain County, inner-city Columbus, and most recently, in a tiny village in west-central Ohio by the Indiana border.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My road has not been smooth, but I find that when I think outside the box, it becomes navigable. Right now, I own my very own brick storefront building, with an art studio downstairs and my apartment upstairs. It’s the kind of building I could never have afforded but for the fact that it’s in the middle of farm country. It’s kind of an exciting location though, at a crossroads where dozens of eighteen-wheelers, John Deere tractors, combines, and horses-and-buggies trundle down the road daily. And as someone who is outspoken in her art, I use my big storefront window to shake things up in my sleepy village just a little bit.

My studio, Gazala Projects, is open to visitors every second Sunday of the month, 1-4pm; and inside, there is both art to explore and bookshelves to browse or buy.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Lately, my artistic practice has focused on uplifting Palestinian heritage and the Palestinian story while we are living through this live-streamed genocide. My latest film project, “Trail Markers,” documents the entanglement of the American empire in Palestinian dispossession, but with a particular focus on how rural Darke County, Ohio -where I now live – is involved. The documentary has made the rounds of film festivals and has screened at the Urban Arts Space and the Wexner Center in Columbus, the International Peace Museum in Dayton, and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati.

I’d like to give a shout out to people like Layla Muchnik-Benali, George Harb, and Christian Casas, who made these local Ohio screenings and events happen, but thanks especially to friend and fellow Palestinian creator Mandy Shunnarah, who has gotten up on stage with me numerous times to have meaningful discussions about important issues.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Right now, I’m preparing for an invitational exhibition at the Losisnski Gallery in Columbus, where I’ll be debuting a book of photography that intimately records family momentos and heirlooms that speak to my Palestinian heritage. I am excited to be working with curator Julia Barrett on this show, which centers immigrant stories. And with the special group of artists assembled, including Dana Lynn Harper, whose work I’ve admired for years, and this will be our first show together.

Pricing:

• Material Culture – a photographic archive. $75
• “Trail Markers” can be purchased as a pay-per-view film. $10 for individuals, $50 for classroom or organizational use

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @monagazala and @gazalprojects