Archives

Links

Email: monicabarbaragazzo@yahoo.com

Monica Gazzo is a filmmaker, videographer, trilingual linguist and film / video educator. Monica began her career in experimental theater and performance art in the '70's. Her public work has been presented in galleries, museums and festivals both in Europe and the US.

Her most recent work (2009) includes the following shorts:

• "Trevi", documentary, DVD, color, sound, 25 minutes.
• "Insights on Acting with Sandro Lombardi", documentary, DVD, color, sound, 15 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles.
• "Imagined Nature: A Day with Andrea Marini, Sculptor", documentary, DVD, color, sound, 20 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles.
• "Holiday", documentary, DVD, color, sound, 8 minutes.

After successfully opening in the Third Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (1999), Women's Visions program (Spielberg Room @ Egyptian Theater), "Tending Echo Park" was featured in Santa Monica's Documental Series, at Cine Nites, Century City and at the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, as part of the program Alternative Visions: New Century / New Cinema. The film was also presented at The New Festival, New York City, the 25th Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland, Ohio, the Directors Guild of America, Hollywood as part of Outfest 2000 and at the 4th Annual MadCat Women's International Film Festival (2000), as part of the program Reframing the Frame, presented at the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley and at Artist Television Access, San Francisco. Recently the film has screened in the Anais Nin Video & Film Diary Festival, at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, Big Sur, California and at Echo Park Film Center, Los Angeles. Gazzo graduated at age 16 from the Cambridge Institute, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, studied in Florence, Italy and in the Film and Television Department at UCLA and graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with an MFA in Cinema.

Tea Road

She is the recipient of numerous awards, and amongst them, First Award in Photography, Media and Mixed Media, Open Call Exhibition, Angels Gate Cultural Center (2004) and a Teaching Artist Professional Development Award, funded by the Music Center and the Ahmanson Foundation (1998-99). She was selected to participate in the Arts Leadership Fellows Program, funded by the California Arts Council and Coro Southern California (1996). She was awarded a contract from the City of Los Angeles, Youth Arts Services Division (1996) and funding from the City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department, Artist-in-the-Community Program for two consecutive years (1995-96). She is also a recipient of a Video Access Production Grant from the Long Beach Museum of Art / Video Annex (1995) and an Arts Earthquake Recovery Grant from the California Community Foundation / Cultural Affairs Department (1994). Other projects have been funded by the Los Angeles City Council / 13th District (1994), UCLA's Graduate Student Association (1992), the City of Certaldo (Italy), Cultural Affairs Dept. (1990), the City of Castelfiorentino (Italy), Education Dept. (1990) and the City of Florence (Italy), Cultural Affairs Dept. (1978).

She was awarded grants from the Louis B. Mayer Foundation (1987) and the Italian Cultural Institute, San Francisco / Italian Consulate, Los Angeles, for a residency at Djerassi Foundation (1985). She served on the jury of the International Video Festival Riccione TTVV, Italy (1987) and on the Board of Directors of New Langton Arts, San Francisco (1986-88).

In 1978, with funding from the City of Florence, Cultural Affairs Department, she produced an international theater production between US - based Bread and Puppet Theater and Florence - based Pupi e Fresedde. She has toured extensively Europe with exhibitions (The Fragile Art of Papier Maché by Peter Shumann, Bread and Puppet) and her own company's (The-a-tre) experimental theater productions. In 1976, through a grant from the Italian Ministry of Culture, she toured Latin America with a play by Florence - based experimental theater company Ouroboros Theater and translated essays on contemporary theater published by the Venice Biennale Theater Department.

In 1982 she became a US permanent resident, founded Metropolis Space, a performance space in the Los Angeles Downtown Artists' District (1982-83), produced her own work and that of numerous emerging LA artists. She created performances commissioned by USC Atelier at the Santa Monica Place (1983) and the First National Women's Theater Festival in Santa Cruz, CA (1983). In 1984 the London based theater company Monstrous Regiment commissioned from her a play based on the life and work of Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi.

Valentine de St. Point

Gazzo's teaching and lecturing includes experience at the elementary, high school and college level. Between 2002 and 2001 she was an artist-in-residence at La Pluma Elementary, La Mirada (grades 2-3-5), at Hoover High School, Glendale, CA (grades 10-12) (see Workshops on this site) and at Langdon Elementary, in North Hills, CA (grades 4-5). Between January and June, 2000 she was a full time video instructor in the TV Production / Video Program at Van Nuys High, grades 9 through 12, with daily video instruction to 150 students. In the Fall of 1999, while at Bandini Elementary School, San Pedro as part of Angels Gate Artists in the Classroom program, she taught a 12 week film workshop to 4th graders. She has taught Studio Film Instruction and First Year Filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and workshops at Barnsdall Art Center, Los Angeles and Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro. She has lectured in the Women's Studies Department, UC Berkeley; San Francisco State University / Interdisciplinary Arts Department; Twin Palms Gallery, San Francisco; Cal Tech Pasadena; California State University, Northridge; University of Southern California / Nina Menkes' Production Course; LAICA (Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art); California State University, Long Beach, Art Department; Museo Italoamericano, San Francisco and the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach.

Her work has been published by E.G. Press, San Francisco, 1986; Exquisite Corpse, Vol. 2, # 8, New Orleans, LA, 1984; Heresies, a Feminist Publication on Art & Politics, New York, 1984; High Performance, LA, CA, 1983-1982; Theater LA, Summer 1983; Ubu Libri Editore, Milan, Italy, 1980-79; Scenaoltre, Rome, Italy, 1979; Anavlis, Rome, 1979; Quaderni della Biennale di Venezia, 1976 and Quaderni del Teatro Regionale Toscano, 1975.

La Notte delle Tredici Lune

Gazzo's short films and videos have screened at: Saloncino Teatro della Pergola, Florence, Italy; Lu.C.C.A. (Lucca Center of Contemporary Art), Lucca, Italy; Echo Park Film Center / One woman film screening (2006); Anais Nin Video & Film Diary Festival, Henry Miller Memorial Library, Big Sur, California (2004), New Festival (2001), New York City, 25th Cleveland International Film Festival (2001), Cleveland, OH, 4th Annual MadCat Women's International Film Festival (2000), Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley / Artist Television Access, San Francisco, as part of the program Reframing the Frame; Outfest 2000, Directors Guild of America, Hollywood; Pacific Film Archive (2000), Berkeley, as part of the program Alternative Visions - New Century / New Cinema; Documental (1999), Santa Monica; Third Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival, Women's Visions (1999); International Documentary Association (IDA) Second International Documentary Congress, as part of the series In and Out of the Cold / Documenting 50 Years of Change, UCLA Melnitz Theater (1996); Hollywood Moguls (1995); Center for Film and Video Arts at 18th Street Arts Complex, Santa Monica (1994); Society for Cinema Studies Conference, New Orleans, LA (1993); UCLA Melnitz Theatre (1992), as part of the program Celebration! A celebration of women in film for International Women's Day; Biblioteca Comunale, Castelfiorentino, Italy (1990); London Filmmakers' Coop (1989); Filmforum, LA (1989); Artists Television Access, San Francisco (1989); State University at Binhampton, Ken Jacobs course (1989); Fourth Annual Film Arts Festival, Roxie Cinema, San Francisco (1988); UC Theater, Berkeley (1988); Emerging California Women Artists, Fresno Contemporary Art Center (1987); Videos Refuses Festival, The Lab, San Francisco (1985); Festival della Disgregazione, Florence (1981); Pompidou Centre, Paris, Artists' Theater Project (1980) and others.

Gazzo's experience as curator / producer includes amongst others, the series A Tongue of Her Own (1994-96), presented at Barnsdall's Gallery Theater and Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro. Also Film Under the Stars (1995), Farnsworth Park Amphitheater, Altadena; Tribute to Frida Kahlo (1986), San Francisco Cinemat�que. In Italy, Spaziozero d'Aprile, Teatro Spaziozero, Roma (1980) and La Coda della Lingua (1978), Teatro La Maddalena, Rome.

Artemisia Study # 1

Gazzo's performances and readings have been presented at: Exchange, Mandeville Center, UC San Diego (1986); Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco (1986-85); Museo Italoamericano, San Francisco (1985); Polyphonix International Language Poetry Festival (San Francisco Art Institute, 1984); Student Union Gallery, San Francisco State University (1984); LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions), 1984; First National Women's Theater Festival, Santa Cruz, CA (1983); Lhasa Club, Hollywood (1983); USC Atelier, Santa Monica (1983); Exile Gallery, Los Angeles (1982); Target L.A. / Antinuclear Art Festival, CA (1982);* Espace DBD, Los Angeles (1982); Festival Out / Off, Milan (1981); Museo del Sannio, Benevento (1981), Teatro Tenda Spaziozero, Rome (1981); SpazioUno, Florence (1981); Ridotto Teatro Metastasio, Prato, Italy (1981); Artist Studio / Match 2, Florence, Italy (1980) [TEAROAD PIX] Studio Mario Schifano, Palazzo Napoleonico, Rome (1980-79); Conference Celebrating a Decade of Social Struggles: 1968-78, Studenski Kulturni Center, Belgrade (1978); International Women's Theater Festival, Milkiway Theater, Amsterdam (1978); Festival Alle origini della tragedia / Passaggio a sudovest, Palazzo Reale, Caserta (1978).

Gazzo's photography was exhibited in one woman shows at the Santa Monica Public Library Main Gallery (1995) and at the Museo Italoamericano, San Francisco (1985). She has participated in numerous group exhibits, including Second City Council Gallery and Performance Space (2001-2004) and Long Beach Arts (2004), Gate's Own (1998-95) and A Gathering of Angels (2002-1999) at Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro. In 2004 she receive First Award in Photography - Mixed Media from Angels Gate Cultural Center's Open Call Exhibit.

Between 1997 and 2000 Gazzo was increasingly involved in feature length subtitling and translated into Spanish and Italian more than 300 Warner Bros., MGM, DreamWorks and Independent features, including For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, Bread and Roses, Onegin, Avalanche, Y2K, First Look: Saving Private Ryan, All the President's Men, The Bodyguard, The Postman Always Rings Twice, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Thelma & Louise, The Man Who Would Be King, Rob Roy, Zero Effect, Amadeus, Dog Day Afternoon, The Pelican Brief, The Postman, Selena, True Romance, The Wild Bunch, Mad City, Forever Mine..

Performance Study

 
In 2002 she became a US citizen and still holds her Italian citizenship.

Gazzo's work centers on personal and social issues, history and semiotics. Tending Echo Park is her second 16 mm independently produced film. Her first 16 mm, A Florentine Diary has been successfully presented at festivals, conferences, cultural centers and film / video venues internationally.

Photographs description

Artemisia Study # 1 (1982), performance, presented at Rachel Rosenthal's Espace DBD, Los Angeles, with Danielle Elliott. Photo Credit: Violet Hamilton. Published in High Performance Magazine, Artist's Chroniche, 1982 Summer Issue.

Tea Road / Dagli Appenini alle Ande (1979), performance, presented in Mario Schifano's Studio, Palazzo Napoleonico, Rome (Italy). Photo Credit: Donatella Rimoldi.

Valentine de St. Point (1983), performance, commissioned and presented at USC Atelier, Santa Monica Place and Lhasa Club, Hollywood. Photo Credit: Violet Hamilton.

La Notte delle Tredici Lune (1980), performance/installation, Florence (Italy). The Artist Studio / Piazza Santa Croce / Match Due. Photo Credit: Antonio Sferlazzo.

Performance Study (1980), Santa Monica, CA. Photo Credit: Marco Durantini.

Click the following for: