The boat was, and will be again, a project about hope. The basic premise is this: A boat floats on the water, tethered at several points to anchors. Out of the boat grows a tree, and on the tree are tied a great number of large helium balloons. The audience is asked questions relating to the idea of hope: their own sense of hope about themselves and the world. Depending on their answers, the tethers that anchor the boat are cut, or weights are added to the boat. Thus the audience has the power to sink, float, or possibly fly the boat.

This was the first run of the project, with Andrea Peterson's Dimensional Paper class. Here we are, at the beginning of a grand procession towards Lake Michigan Sadly, the boat sprang a leak and could not fly. However, I learned a great deal in the making, and plans are underway for a Boat Revival. My hope is, eventually, to take the boat around the country and bring it to many different communities.

Many thanks to the documenters of this, the first not-quite-flight of the boat, including Loni Diep, Stacey Stormes and Mel Racho. And many, many thanks to Andrea Peterson for sticking by me with this, and continuing to encourage me.