Thank you
Thank you to our dedicated Roustabouts (Donors & Volunteers) who made this exhibition possible.
Paul Byrd
Jennifer Wong
Victoria Angello
Kinetic Arts Center
The UNCLE JUNIOR PROJECT is a community driven digital exhibit dedicated to celebrating and sharing the inspiring stories of African American circus performers.
This exhibit was made possible by our Roustabouts. This is our community of passionate and named after the title given to people who would set up and tear down circus tents.
If you’d like to help us continue preserving and celebrating the history of black circus performers, please consider donating below.
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All donations are tax deductible through our fiscal sponsorship with Fractured Atlas.
Beginnings
Jamarr Woodruff was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Our family used to go to the Barnum & Bailey Circus in Atlanta every year. It became like a tradition for us."
Jamarr started to have an interest in juggling after watching Michael Moschen In Motion on PBS.
"That made me want to learn how to juggle."
He found a book in the library, Juggling For The Complete Klutz that taught him what he needed to get started.
In high school, Jamarr saw a poster on his guidance counselor's board.
It was an audition for the Ringling Brothers & Barnum an Bailey Circus Clown College.
"When I saw that poster, it was like an epiphany.
That's what I want to do. I want to be a clown in the circus."
Jamarr enrolled in the Theater Arts program at Alabama State University, a HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).
He would walk around campus juggling.
People would ask why I'm juggling.
I said I want to be a clown.
They'd start laughing.
There wasn't a lot of that sort of stuff at that school.
After graduating, Jamarr set his sights on circus training.
After graduating Dell'Arte, he attended the Clown Conservatory.
“It was there I started to learn more about my art.”
Jamarr became a performer in
The Greatest Show on Earth.
“It was just exhilarating...
You just don't want to mess up.”
"It felt natural, like
this is where I'm supposed to be."
Jamarr's first weeks in a big circus
show taught him what it was like to
make a mistake in front of a very large crowd.
Interview with Jamar (1 min)
"Clowns aren't very shy about laughing at you when you mess up."
Jamar with the other clowns from Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus
"I've always wanted to be known as
a clown who is black,
and not necessarily a black clown."
I'm wearing all these hip-hop clothes that people of other races normally shy away from.
To them, it brings up a negative image.
But I take it and put it in a clown form,
and it's accessible.
You're able to relate to it... it's not something negative.
“I want to be remembered as someone who first represented himself, his family, and his culture in the way that has helped pushed forward something positive."
Jamar plans to start his own circus youth program.
It will make the circus accessible to underserved communities in Atlanta by bringing all the equipment, training, and a relatable approach.
"The whole reason why I wanted to become a clown is the whole job description of a clown:
That is to make people happy.
And that's what I get to enjoy everyday"
There’s More To The Story!
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