I wrapped Jeremy in June, after I found out that I had gotten the commission for the Here Today temporary art gig from the City of Olympia.

He is the 16 year old friend of my older son, Max; they have been friends since first grade at Lincoln School. This past spring, I drove him and his mother Linda to get a haircut out in Lacey, where these Korean ladies specialize in military cuts for African-Americans. He had a big ‘fro, and there was a lot of hair on the floor, which they bagged up and gave to me. When I told Linda I wanted to use this hair on a doll I was going to make, she said, “please put it in front of a book!” Her comment was the inspiration for the “Explorer,”which is currently riding the #951 Raspberry Dash bus :

The Explorer moves around downtown Olympia, and is the most adventurous figure: the Explorer will read a book in various locations, including the steps of the old Carnegie Public Library,

Capitol Lake,

the Farmers“™ Market,

the Artesian Well,

the old synagogue (now K records)

and other places. People encountering the Explorer will feel like they are the discoverer of a new art; the Explorer will encourage them to explore downtown and discover new worlds through reading.