Healthcare clowning has always been close to my heart. Over the years, I've watched some programs begin working with adults and eldercare populations.
Eldercare clowning is especially close to my heart because of my experience with my mother, Florence Gordon. Mom played the piano at church. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom playing the piano at church in my hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee. I would sit in the pew during church services and watch mom…
Read MoreOne of the unique challenges in the field now is that there are very few African-American clowns doing this work. When I began this work 21 years ago, I was one of eight people who were hired. I was the only black clown on the team…
Read MoreI've done a lot of soul searching about clowning over the past four years. The soul-searching is led me to question my place in the work. It's made me ask why I value the work I do and, more importantly, why I continue to want to do it…
Read MoreWe're coming up on a full year of the Covid pandemic. The pandemic routine has become oddly familiar, almost comfortable. The pandemic has introduced a schedule for me, mostly staying at home, on the rare occasion going out into public. I'm an introvert at heart…
Read More"I have a legacy.", he says. He raises his hands in celebration, knowing that his work is remembered. Jonathan Perry is a former hospital clown. He is celebrating a memory he created. A picture on my phone reminds him of the legacy he started twenty-one years ago. He was one of the founding members of the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit…
Read MoreThe recent focus on Black Lives Matter and the racial awakening that began last year renew a focus on an issue that I've wrestled with over these 20 years…
Read MoreI stop everything I'm doing. I wait. Maybe she will do it. Perhaps she doesn't understand. Maybe she doesn't know what to do. Maybe, she wants to sing along, but she doesn't want to be rude and interrupt me. So, I wait…
Read MoreI’ve witnessed what levity and humor can do even in these difficult and trying times. This brings me to the #givethegiggles campaign from Clowns Without Borders…
Read MoreThe past election and the upcoming runoff here in Georgia has me thinking about political action and how we all participate in the process. I live in Georgia…
Read MoreTwenty-nine years ago, in 1991, I came to Atlanta to perform at Oglethorpe University. I performed in a tent in the middle of a field. Now, in 2020 I'm back at Oglethorpe University, once again performing under a tent in a field. In 1991,..
Read MoreThe conversation about diversity in the arts and the clowning world continues. I've been in several panel discussions about diversity and people of color in the circus world. In late September, The Play the Fool Festival hosted a talk called "Culture, Identity, and Clowning: A BIPoC Artist Conversation"…
Read MoreThe patient looked back at me as he smiled. He was about to say something, but then he paused to think about precisely what he was going to say. After thinking it over, he said, "I bet you can't drop your hat down onto your foot and then toss it back up onto your head."..
Read MoreThe words were familiar if not identical to comments I've seen before. They talk about the purpose of art in our world, how artists' work can serve a greater good in our society. Too often, we think that the artist's primary goal is to entertain…
Read MoreC.O.V.I.D. has caused fundamental changes to how clowns work. Many of us are doing virtual clown work. We stare at computer screens and do our best to entertain our audiences. This is a new challenge for performers…
Read MoreI recently had a conversation with Ampie Alblas. They are a blogger from Belgium who writes a blog called Collecting Clowns. Ampie was working on a story about a film made in 1916 called “Natural Born Gambler.” This film is unique because it is considered one of the first films directed by a black man, Bert Williams…
Read MoreI've been thinking about representation recently—specifically the representation of Black people in our society. Many people seem to be willing to take an honest look at the role race plays in our culture. I am encouraged by this reckoning. I also have some earned pessimism.
Read MoreRecently this ripple of cultural change has been felt in my professional world. There's been a lot of discussion in the circus and clown world regarding racial issues. Some of our performing/circus organizations function under the presumption that "we performing artists" are not racist.
Read MoreI am taking a walk this morning. I walk through my neighborhood across the campus of Agnes Scott College and into Downtown Decatur. My destination is the courthouse, specifically the site where the Confederate monument once stood…
Read MoreWe are seeing changes in our society regarding black lives matter and racial justice.
The NFL has flip-flopped on its former stance. Four years ago, the league banned Colin Kaepernick from playing in the league. His offense? He dared to protest police treatment of African-Americans peacefully.
Read MoreWe have seen the video of the policemen killing George Floyd. Mr. Floyd was killed in Minnesota in broad daylight by police officers as he was stretched out on his stomach with his hands in handcuffs behind his back. A police officer unnecessarily forced his knee into the back of Mr. Floyd's neck. He died moments later.
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