Friday, October 2, 2026
The Olympia City Council has approved a public art concept for Marj Yung Park featuring five carved panels and youth-led cultural storytelling along the park’s bicycle and pedestrian trails.
Local artist Andrea Wilbur Sigo, a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe, presented the art concept at a council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
The plan calls for five carved cedar panels, each roughly five feet tall, 18 inches wide, and three inches deep. The panels will be placed at different points along the park’s trails, creating opportunities for visitors to engage with the artwork as they explore the area.
According to Arts Program Manager Stephanie Johnson, the goal is for the panels to initially be discoveries for trail users and eventually become landmarks that encourage people to explore the park and learn about the stories behind the artwork.
She said the project originated with the planned removal of cedar trees at the park and an effort to create opportunities for Squaxin children to learn traditional carving.
Although the cedar harvested from the site was not suitable for carving, Johnson said the idea developed into a larger public art project.
For Sigo, the project is an opportunity to bring younger generations into the creative process and provide a lasting connection between cultural knowledge, art, and place.
Each panel will carry a story and image drawn from Salish and Squaxin traditions and local natural themes. The panels illustrate the stories “How the honey got its stinger,” “Grandfather Octopus,” “Native Butterfly Legend,” “Why the Salmon Return” and “Dukabal and Grandmother Frog.”
“I wanted to bring attention to things that sometimes we forget — the bees, the butterflies, the frogs,” Sigo said.
The panels are intended to draw attention to both the smallest creatures and larger elements of Indigenous creation stories. Sigo described the artwork as a form of living cultural expression that can connect children, adults and elders.
The panels will be fully adzed to create a textured surface and painted with acrylics. Both the front and back of each panel will be carved so the artwork can be viewed from multiple angles.
A protective bracket is also being developed to shield the tops and exposed end grain from moisture and decay. Engineering and other technical details will be refined before installation.
The artwork may also include QR codes that allow trail users to access extended stories and additional context about each panel.
Sigo also mentioned her plan to involve Squaxin youths, including her grandchildren, and other tribal youths in the carving process.
The project is part of the City of Olympia’s continuing five-year accord with the Squaxin Island Tribe. Other initiatives connected to the accord have included raising the Squaxin flag over City Hall, installing the Welcome Figure and renaming Priest Point Park as Squaxin Park.
According to a staff report, the city has allocated $30,000 in the 2026 Municipal Art Plan for public art at Marj Yung Park, formerly known as Kaiser Woods.
With the council approval of the concept, Sigo will return to the Arts Commission on Sept. 10 for final design review, technical details and a refined work plan.
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Honestyandrealityguy
Have the natives ever provided retribution for raping white women and killing their husbands and fathers?
Friday, August 14 Report this
CobraCommander
Honestyandrealityguy - JFC, you're disgusting.
Release the Epstein files
Friday, August 14 Report this
sunshine39
CobraCommander--I second your comment
Saturday, August 15 Report this
ScottWall
Honestyandreality guy apparently has no idea what the word "retribution" means, in addition to being a jerk.
Saturday, August 15 Report this
BettyVerdammt
AI-generated art. Really, Olympia? Do better.
Saturday, August 15 Report this
Arete
This art is beautiful. I welcome it and hope we all can benefit from its message.
Dishonest and Fictional Guy. You're true to form with your disgusting post.
Sunday, August 16 Report this
Boatyarddog
Honestyandrealityguy What happened to You, you should have been aborted as a fetus, your seriously Malignant! How embarrassing to Be your mother ! Now we ALL SEE what you've become. Foolhardy The Whole community sees your UGLYNESS and will remember you as such.
Sunday, August 16 Report this
Boatyarddog
BettyVerdammt you must have had a brain fart. There is No AI involved in this, or mention of that There is a QR code to reference, the work. You must be related to Honestyandrealityguy, your both Braindead Zombies!
Sunday, August 16 Report this
ViaLocal
I think what lyingdelusionalguy meant was that the whites shamelessly raped Native Americans AND THEIR CHILDREN AND BURIED THEM IN MASS GRAVES BY THE CANADIAN BORDER, WITH THE HELP OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Monday, August 17 Report this
Boatyarddog
ViaLocal. Good read on that outrageously hate filled lie. By Honesty and Lying ass Guy. THANK YOU!
Tuesday, August 18 Report this