CLOWN ALLEY IS BACK!

A statement from Greg DeSanto, Executive Director of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center:

In a year where negative news seems to the norm, we at the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center are very happy to re-introduce “Pat Cashin’s Clown Alley Blogspot”!

Pat’s efforts to create an amazing database of clown history will always remain a testament to his passion and love for the history of clowns worldwide.

Pat served as the ICHOF Board President and was actively engaged with the formation and re-opening of the museum when it moved to its permanent home in Baraboo, Wisconsin over 10 years ago.

With the support of Terry Williams Cashin, the ICHOF has maintained the blog as an internal resource since Pat’s passing, and now have exciting plans to return it to regular postings of clown history, old & new, historical images and film clips to audiences and researchers to share and learn from.

The ICHOF and Terry are excited that board member and noted performing clown, Steve Copeland will be steering this blog with a passion and knowledge that Pat himself saw up close and personal and appreciated deeply.

I, and the entire Board of Director’s of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center welcome our supporters and friends back! We hope you enjoy what we share, we thank you for your continued support and hope you all remember Pat Cashin with a smile.

Sincerely,

Greg DeSanto
Executive Director

and now, my intro.

Hi everyone, I'm Steve Copeland. Some of you may know me as the better looking member of the clown and comedy team, Steve & Ryan. I've loved clowns my whole life, and thanks to my "Dustin Hoffman in a certain movie" abilities, I know a lot about them. But I always love learning more. And that's why this blog is such a valuable resource.

I also love Pat Cashin. And I miss him all the time. This blog is his legacy, and I am honored that I was asked to continue it. I am no Pat Cashin, but I will do my best to regularly post on here and share my love and passion for clowns the same way he did.

Please spread the word on social media that we are back. I look forward to hearing from all of the blog's fans in the comment section where we can share more information and stories about the funny women and men that will be showcased here.

Now in the immortal words of Stephen Sondheim......"Everybody Ought To Have A Maid!"

Oh, and also, somebody "Send In The Clowns"

Steve Copeland

Visit the blog at: http://clownalley.blogspot.com/

A STATEMENT FROM THE ICHOF

As clowns, we provide entertainment and connection to a diverse audience. We do not ask ourselves who is watching us, we connect with all who wish to watch. The beauty of the art of Clown is the universal appeal- anyone of any nationality, race, religion, gender identity, ability, or social status can find a place to perform or be entertained. As we look at the events happening in today's climate and we look back at the historical inequities of our world, we must ask ourselves what we as a community and art form can do to make clowning more inclusive and remain inclusive for our fellow performers and audience members who represent various marginalized communities. One of the best things we can do both in or out of makeup is listen to people from these groups.

Listen without being dismissive or defensive. Absorb what you hear and learn about others, and learn about oneself by reflecting and owning moments where there may be stains of injustice or bias in your past. Clowns are representative of the people as a collective- we put ourselves in situations as we perform to gain empathy from our audience. The connections we make allow our audience to experience situations in a new way. Audiences laugh with us, get frustrated with us, and sometimes cry with us. Through actively listening, learning, and speaking out against injustice we as clowns can build these connections.

As historians, we of the International Clown Hall of Fame frequently browse the pages of history. When we happen upon a stain on those pages we must do what we can to ensure that stain doesn't grow or appear again in the future.

Among the pages is the story of Gordon Bunch. Gordon was famous for performing at the 1906 World's fair, and he was also hired by department stores as a 'living mannequin' for displays. In 1910 he was a clown and pantomime on the American vaudeville circuit. He was performing in a small town when a fire broke out at the theater. He rushed in and carried a woman to safety. When she came to and wished to thank her hero, she discovered him nearby wiping the sweat and makeup off his brow, revealing his brown skin. Instead of thanking him, she cried out a racial slur and fainted. Gordon spent the night in jail for making a white woman faint. This story isn't the first in the books, and it certainly wasn't the last.

We at the ICHOF stand with our fellow performers and audience members of the Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, and other communities who have experienced injustice for far too long. The ICHOF will be listening, absorbing, reflecting, and shaping our future actions. We can and will do better, and we call upon everyone reading this message to do the same.

We can each encourage awareness and positive change by displaying it ourselves.

The Board of Directors of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center.