The Village launched the Emergency Gap Fund for Philadelphia’s Black Working Artists in April 2020 to support Philadelphia’s culture bearers, visionaries, connectors and creative entrepreneurs with unrestricted grants of $500 during the pandemic. These profiles showcase a few of the remarkable creators that make Philadelphia the city we are proud to call home.
Jaquan Fields, AKA Quany the Clown, is a talented and highly trained performance artist who specializes in clowning — and also a Village youth program alum!
Can you describe your art form?
I’m a physical comedian and a professional clown.
How did you find your calling?
I started out at a birthday party for my little cousin DJ, and from there it blossomed into a love and a passion for clowning in which I decided to go to different clown schools and classes. My goal became performing with Ringling Bros — the Greatest Show on Earth — and I trained hard and achieved that goal before they closed in 2018.
How do you share your art now?
I worked for the Children’s Hospital as a clown for several years, which was a great gig, but I really like working for myself. I perform at birthday parties, senior living homes, and do gospel shows at churches. I love having the freedom to be creative without any barriers.
What’s one of your favorite moments from clowning?
A month or so ago, I performed at a birthday party for one of the kids I met when he was in the hospital. He had finally gotten to go home. It was the last show I did before the COVID-19 crisis. Usually, when I do a show in the hospital, I give the kids something as a gift and leave it with them. This time, after the show, his mom came out and gave me a clown figurine of me that they had specially made. I don’t know where they got it, but it was really special.
How has COVID-19 affected your business?
COVID-19 took my business to an immediate halt. It’s hard to know when people will reschedule their events. I’m currently working on building an online kid’s show and posting it on social media. I’ve been working on different TikTok videos for adults and kids. @theofficialquanytheclown is for kids and my adult sketches are at @justquany215.
How will the Gap Fund support you?
I’m going to use the fund to update my show so we can re-explode it once the restrictions are lifted.
