Hidden on the side of utility boxes, affixed to alleys and spray-painted on sidewalks around Tacoma is the image of a boy with a shocked look on his face. The face varies in color and size, but the graffiti image of a boy with a wide-eyed expression has become a calling card of sorts in Tacoma’s guerrilla-art scene.
The person behind the image asked to remain anonymous in this story and video to protect his identity and focus the attention on the tag itself. On Wednesday the 42-year-old went for a walk with The News Tribune around the Stadium District to show off some of his favorite pieces.
The spray-painted stencils depict the exact moment a deaf boy named Harold Whittles heard sound for the first time. Photographer Jack Bradley captured the boy’s shock and astonishment in black and white, and the image was published in the February 1974 edition of “Reader’s Digest.”…