Steven Jeffre shared his vision for a Burning Man art car with his OBOP tribe in 2004, though he had been nursing it for years before that. He called it "Emergence," and it was be a sanctuary by day, offering shade and serving up Emergen-C to parched burners, and a hopping mobile lounge by night. He and many, many friends spent literally hundreds of hours every year refining and evolving it, along with so much more they did for their communities in Ojai and on the playa.

Steven passed away on June 15, 2011 after a two year battle with cancer.

He loved to play, whether it was building an art car for Burning Man, taking a paintbrush to canvas, or dancing until dawn. His acceptance of everyone without judgment, coupled with his gentle and jovial mannerisms, brought new friends to Steven daily. He was an international ambassador of peace and a global explorer. He welcomed everyone to his home for a meal or a swim. His fascination with the beauty and magic of nature inspired him to lead many treks into the hills of the Ojai Valley and beyond: full moon campfires at Piedre Blanca, road trips to water holes, and picnics on grassy hillsides. He had a way that made you recognize your own dreams and then he gave the generous encouragement to make them happen.

In its debut, Emergence arrived as a caterpillar, a suitable icon for the 2005 theme "Psyche," a Greek word meaning both "butterfly" and "spirit". Steve was still unfolding his vision for Emergence right up to his passing. It is more than appropriate that in 2011, reflecting the ultimate Rite of Passage, Emergence returns as a fully-formed butterfly. Like the butterfly, Steven's joyful spirit has metamorphosed, emerging from its worn chrysalis to take wing and fly away.