The Team:
The Supa Future Studio Collective: from left Jaquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, Aaron Sawyer, Tamia Garcia, Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, Tiyanna Scott, photo by Lori Waselchuk
Jaquan “Quany the Clown” Fields, photo by Lori Waselchuk
Jacquan “Quany the Clown” Hasheen Fields:
Jaquan Fields — also known as Quany the Clown — is a multitalented family entertainer who has performed over 2000 shows in the circus arts. Jaquan began his theater training at the Village of Arts and Humanities in the youth theater and dance program. Since then, Jaquan has studied at the Mid-Atlantic Clown Association, The New York Goofs, the American Clown Academy and from Kevyn Terrill Johnson (former UniverSoul Circus Clown). Jaquan is also an accomplished graphic designer and photographer who has created the graphics for the Village Open Mics. Quany performs as emcee for the Village Open Mics and helps to curate talent for the events.
Aaron Sawyer, Photo by Lori Waselchuk
Aaron Sawyer:
Aaron Sawyer is a lens-based media artist whose independent practice specializes in photography. He is currently based in North Philadelphia. As a member of the “Supa Future Studio” Collective, Sawyer is involved in the continuous documentation through photography and video of the open mic events, artist talks and film screenings.
Tamia Garcia, photo by Lori Waselchuk
Tamia Garcia:
“People always told me I wasn’t going to be anything when I grew up.”
Tamia Garcia is an 18 year old artist born in Trinidad & Tobago and raised there for 12 years. She was raised by her great grandmother and moved to America in 2010. Garcia has been singing since the age of five. She lived in Delaware for about seven years and moved to Philadelphia in March 2016. Garcia brought her best friend Tiyanna Scott to Philadelphia with her in June of the same year. They were both walking to the store one day and saw an open mic event taking place at Ile Ife Park and decided to check it out. They both performed that night and met Kwasi — the visiting artist in residence at the Village of arts and Humanities. Garcia kept in contact with Kwasi after learning about his project and later joined the “Supa Future Studio” collective. Now, Garcia and Scott manage the open mic events and also perform at them.
Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, photo by Heidi Roland
Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh:
Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh is an artist based in Kumasi, Ghana. He articulates his ideas through writing, installation, site-specific and curatorial projects. Ohene-Ayeh is a member of the “Supa Future Studio” Collective who is implementing a series of relational strategies in North Philadelphia to instigate new methods of artistic collaborations in the Fairhill Hartranft community.
Tiyanna Scott, photo by Lori Waselchuk
Tiyanna Scott:
“… and everything they told me that I cant I just show ‘em that I could. People always told me I was bad, I was misunderstood, but I admit that I was lost.” – ‘Miracle’, Ty Dolla Sign
Tiyanna Scott is an 18 year old artist born in Georgia and raised in Delaware, USA. Being the youngest of three girls raised by a single mother (Stephanie Roach) she picked up on things to occupy her. She began singing, drawing, playing sports, cooking — anything to keep busy. As she grew she lost passion for sports and it increased in other areas. She would often get in trouble for doodling on things “not meant for ink” which was basically anything she could get her hands on. Although Tiyana was described as a “troubled child” she was very misunderstood. “You’re smart, why must you act this way?”, her teachers and administrators would tell her. Being the fact that she was said to have an attitude problem, she was doubted. Nobody thought she would graduate with her class so she finished two months earlier than her classmates. Tiyanna graduated from Dover High School in Dover, Delaware at the age of 17.
Not many days after graduating Tiyanna set off on her own, moving to Philadelphia with her best friend Tamia Garcia to further her experience in life and open opportunities. One day Tiyanna and Tamia were walking through Meditation Park on North Alder Street, saw Ile Ife Open Mic Night and decided to join the party. They liked what they had participated in so they followed up with Kwasi Ohene-Ayeh, the artist in residence at the Village of Arts and Humanities, and began helping with the events. Soon after, they became members of the “Supa Future Studio” Collective. Tiyanna is currently managing open mic events, creating things from scraps, working on her music and painting on things “not meant for ink”.
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More about the project here.
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