Help a Palestinian Artist Keep Our Stories Alive

My name is Jason Alghussein. I'm a Palestinian American artist, muralist, and creative technologist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. My work is rooted in Palestinian identity, cultural heritage, and the belief that art has the power to bring people together, challenge injustice, and make visible the stories that might otherwise go untold.

You may know me from my murals *Welcome to Jaffa* and *Focus on Love*, two works that reflect my connection to Palestine, my family's history, and the power of art to communicate humanity in the face of oppression. My work and story have been featured in *Cincinnati Magazine* and *Cincinnati CityBeat*.

But behind these murals is a much more personal story.

When the Door Was Closed, I Found Another Way

In 2022, I applied to BLINK, Cincinnati's internationally recognized festival of light, art, and projection, hoping to illuminate my mural Welcome to Jaffa. My application was denied.

Rather than accept that my work would remain in the dark, I turned to the community. I launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the equipment needed to illuminate the mural independently. At the time, Welcome to Jaffa was the only Palestinian mural in Cincinnati. I wanted people to see it, experience it, and learn about the culture and history behind it.

That experience helped inspire BLONK, a parody of BLINK as an independent arts and technology project I built with a friend. Together, we developed a mobile application designed to help people discover rogue exhibitions—art installations, performances, and creative experiences happening outside the official BLINK festival program.

We wanted to make it easier for people to find the artists and experiences that might otherwise be overlooked, giving independent creators another way to reach the public without depending on an official invitation or institutional approval.

The idea was simple: Art shouldn't need permission to exist, and audiences shouldn't have to rely on corporate-sponsored festivals to discover it.

In 2024, I applied to BLINK again with a new mural concept. Once again, my application was denied.

I eventually found a wall and took matters into my own hands, independently funding and creating Focus on Love, a mural featuring Layla, a young girl from Gaza, wearing heart-shaped sunglasses. The work was an expression of love, resilience, and the humanity of Palestinian children at a time when the world was witnessing unimaginable suffering in Gaza.

By 2026, I had decided not to apply to BLINK again.

That decision followed my learning that a woman involved in organizing the festival's 2024 opening parade ceremony had removed posters bearing the words "Stop the Genocide" in Cincinnati. Given what my family and the Palestinian people have endured, I could not ignore what that represented to me.

Rather than continue seeking approval from an institution whose priorities I had come to question, I chose to focus on creating independent opportunities for art, expression, and community outside the festival's official programming.

This Is Personal

I am not speaking about Palestine from a distance.

Forty-five members of my family have been killed in Gaza. My family's arts and cultural center, the Al Ghussein Cultural House, was bombed in an Israeli airstrike.

The loss of family members and the destruction of a cultural space are devastating on their own. Together, they represent something even deeper: the loss of people, memories, history, and places where culture is preserved and passed on to future generations.

Palestinian culture is not simply a political talking point. It is our art, our music, our food, our poetry, our architecture, our family histories, and our connection to the land. Preserving and sharing that culture is one way we resist being erased.

As a Palestinian American artist living in Cincinnati, I feel a responsibility to keep telling these stories.

I cannot bring back the family members we have lost. I cannot undo the destruction of our cultural center. But I can continue creating art that honors their memory, celebrates Palestinian identity, and invites people to see one another's humanity.

And I want that work to do more than raise awareness. I want it to inspire people to take action.

Art for Palestine. Hope for Its Children.

One of the most important ways people can help Palestinians is by supporting the children whose lives have been devastated by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

That's why I want my art to inspire people to support the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), a nonprofit organization that provides medical and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian children.

My mural Focus on Love was created with Palestinian children in mind.

Layla, the young girl depicted in the mural, represents the humanity, innocence, and potential of children who deserve the opportunity to grow up in safety, surrounded by love rather than war.

I believe art can do more than make people stop and look. It can make people feel, think, and act.

I want someone to encounter my work, learn something about Palestine, recognize the humanity of its people, and feel moved to make a difference. For me, that means encouraging people to support organizations like PCRF that are working to help Palestinian children.

My goal isn't simply to create more art. It's to use art to inspire compassion, solidarity, and meaningful action.

Why I'm Asking for Your Help

I am raising funds to help build independent opportunities for Palestinian art, cultural expression, and community engagement in Cincinnati and beyond.

Your contribution will help me continue developing projects that bring Palestinian stories into public spaces, create new artistic opportunities outside traditional festival gatekeepers, and use technology and creative collaboration to connect people through art.

I want to build something that reaches beyond a single mural or festival. I want to help create a future in which artists can share their work regardless of whether a corporate-sponsored art institution or festival decides their stories deserve a platform.

I also want these projects to inspire others to support the Palestinian people directly, including through donations to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

I want to demonstrate that even when institutions close their doors, artists and communities can create their own platforms, tell their own stories, and direct attention toward people who need our support.

Every contribution to this campaign will help me continue that work. If you cannot donate, sharing this campaign can help bring these stories to a wider audience.

I also welcome connections with artists, organizers, cultural institutions, and community members who believe art should make room for voices that are too often overlooked.

I am one Palestinian American artist, but the stories I carry are much bigger than me.

They belong to my family, to Palestine, and to everyone who believes that culture, creativity, and human dignity are worth protecting.

Art can illuminate what others would rather leave in the dark. It can preserve our stories, challenge injustice, and remind us of our shared humanity.

I hope you'll join me in keeping those stories alive—and in turning the compassion they inspire into meaningful support for the people of Palestine.

Want to Help Palestinian Children Directly?

My art is one way I hope to inspire compassion and solidarity with the Palestinian people. If my work moves you to help children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, I encourage you to donate directly to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).

PCRF provides medical and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian children. Your support can help contribute to that vital work.

Donate directly to PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/

You can support PCRF independently of this campaign, helping Palestinian children while also supporting the artists and community projects working to keep Palestinian culture and stories alive.

Thank you for caring, for standing in solidarity, and for turning compassion into action.

With gratitude,

Jason Alghussein

Palestinian American Artist | Cincinnati, Ohio

To receive a print of my work,

Please my website's contact section and send me a verification of donation along with your mailing address.