Community meetings are often the source of a wealth of local trivia. For example, at last week’s 12th Ave meeting I learned that the art-containing grassy corner at 14th & Remington Ct. is not a city park, but a complete county-owned work of art.

Created in 1993 by Alaskan artist Marvin Oliver, the native-themed bronze and glass orca fin is paired with the nearby rock and the wave-like patterns in the earth that surrounds it.

That makes the whole property a work of art, and is said to be protected from any alterations that don’t have the approval of the artist. It’s owned and theoretically maintained by 4Culture, the King County cultural services agency. But neighbors at last week’s meeting said that it’s been a long-term challenge to get regular lawn service for the property, and the lights for the sculpture are currently broken, with no immediate plans for repairs.

The county ownership means that it can be harder to get traction on issues on the property than would be so with a city park. Maintenance issues should be taken up with 4Culture, and neighbors that have issues with criminal activity should call 911 whenever they see problems. 

Otherwise, it’s a nice place to spend a few minutes on a sunny day. Maybe you can even work it into your trip to explore the Seattle U campus.