CARL SHEPPARD LARSON

I had seen the poster before: a man in a long coat "flashing" a nude sculpture on a city street with the words "expose yourself to art" underneath. It wasn't until I moved to Portland, though, that I learned who the guy in the picture was. It was Bud Clark, the city's mayor from 1985 until 1992. A bar owner since 1967, he was a big change from the conservative incumbent he defeated. He rode a bike to City Hall most days and greeted passers-by with his signature call, "Whoop whoop!" Clark was a key ally for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance from the organization's start in 1990.

 

After years of hanging around at Bud's bar, now owned by his daughter, I'd gotten to know Bud. In 2013, I managed to convince him to help us make an "Expose Yourself to Bikes" poster to benefit the BTA. The photo was taken by Will Vanlue in the exact same spot where Mike Ryerson took the original 35 years before. Conditions were perfect: the sculpture had been relocated and a bike rack had been put in its place.

 

To celebrate the poster's release, I partnered with Portland's public art agency to create a tour of Bud's favorite public art, by bike. Hardly showing his 82 years, Bud led the ride and regaled the crowd with stories. The ride concluded, of course, at Bud's bar. [photos]