May 2019 - Secret Life of Clowns

Jeff Raz reading from The Snow Clown — Jeff will be speaking at the Commonwealth Club about “The Snow Clown” and bridging cultural gaps through art and human connection on June 11, 2019.

In The Land of Hope and Grief, An Art Therapy Project in an Alaska Native Village Helps Teens Talk About Suicide in their Community

I discovered a wonderful article in Pacific Standard Magazine recently, “In the Land of Hope and Grief: An art therapy project in an Alaska Native village helps teens talk about suicide in their community.” This compelling piece was written by Kiliii Yüyan, whose work in Gambell, Alaska has a lot of resonance with the work I did in rural Alaska, the source material for The Snow Clown.

He writes: “I’m standing deep in snow on a moonlit night on an island in the middle of the Bering Sea, watching the people of this community, nearly all of them Siberian Yup’ik, await the arrival of walrus hunters…For the past few weeks, I’ve been a guest art teacher at the high school here…so I’m feeling invested in the outcome of the hunt.”

Last Paragraph of “The Snow Clown”

Sometimes things change. I want to go back to St. Michael to teach Charlene’s kids to juggle. I want to eat spam and paint Eskimo masks on kids’ faces. I want to write a play about breaking the silence, or help Charlene write a play for the whole village, telling even more secrets. But they might not need me now. Dougie and Barnsie might already be there, making a show with every kid in the village. Some of Paul Paul’s students might have grown up to be teachers, showing off Yup’ik masks and sharing the old stories. Charlene might be the new St. Michael school custodian.

A young Yup’ik woman getting ready to perform.	IK feels a sense of relief when she is with her family. She wears her hope mask in the family home, where so many of her joyful memories come from.
Friends putting on makeup using Yup’ik mask designs.	Showtime in St. Michael, AK with performers in their grandparents’ clothes and makeup based on Yup’ik masks.

Raz Happenings

	Interactive program at the Commonwealth Club Tuesday, June 11 at 6 pm The Commonwealth Club 110 The Embarcadero, Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium, San Francisco, 94105Seats are limited Get your ticket now!
	Webinar for International Association of Business Communicators “Delving into the art of storytelling in the workplace” June 26, 2019 Click here for more information or to register.
	Jeff will be directing a solo show: “Cara Vita: A Clown Concerto” at the S.F. International Arts Festival Click here for more information.

Do you have a group or organization to suggest for ‘The Snow Clown’ experience? Let us know!