User:Exploitcorporations/Harpman Hatter

Harpman Hatter (born July 29th, 1957) born as Richard Bocook, is an American street musician, artist, and free speech activistworking in Spokane, Washington since 2007. His music is rooted in the blues genre, and his chalk art focuses on portraiture and caricature of significant figures in music, politics, and human rights work as well as characters from myth and fiction.

Busking

Bocook began his career with street music performances in downtown Spokane during the mid-2000s. His harmonica work and distinctive Wellington top hat-style headgear earned him the moniker "Harpman Hatter", and he became a fixture in the burgeoning Spokane busking scene. Bocook is a member of the Inland Empire Blues Association and appears annually at the First Night Spokane celebrations..

Noise Ordinances and Free Speech Activism

Early in the course of Bocook's work he began to encounter opposition from Spokane civic authorities, which over the course of several administrations during the 2000s and 2010s had attempted to curtail public solicitations. These efforts were ostensibly directed at reducing panhandling, but have broadly targeted street musicians and homeless persons as well, in addition to advocates and relief organizations. Noise ordinances have been deployed by various municipalities in the United States to specifically repress street performers, who often vocally defend impoverished and homeless populations and are often integrated with them. Bocook found himself in a position to respond through his through music and art, and became a perennial presence at weekly City Council meetings. This over time led to harassment and citations from local law enforcement and increased support fro Bocook from the local community.

Artwork

Bocook's sidewalk art techniques developed rapidly during the 2010s, and his portraits of figures both familiar and obscure and became prominent visual mainstays outside Spokane's City Hall and other downtown locales. His depictions frequently serve as tributes to local musicians and activists, as well as civil rights icons of the past and present. The pieces also appear as sidewalk-level political cartoons, with satire directed at national leaders and sometimes the local officials within the city hall where they are often displayed. He works in the medium of pavement chalks, with methods and materials allowing the pieces to endure foot traffic and weather and slowly fade over time, often leaving ghostly impressions. "Barbeque charcoal lasts the longest, and rubbing it into the concrete helps it last longer too. When the art is left alone, it fades naturally," according to Bocook.