The retaining wall along the lower section of Harbor Trail has been there since 1978. For most of that time, it was gray concrete: functional, invisible, unremarkable in the way that urban infrastructure is when its only purpose is to hold something up.
It is no longer invisible.
On Saturday morning, the Port Laken Arts Commission and artist collective Marea unveiled "Tides of Memory," a 180-foot mural stretching the full length of the retaining wall from the Harbor Trail trailhead to the fishing pier overlook.
THE WORK
"Tides of Memory" is organized into five interconnected panels, each representing a chapter of Port Laken's history. The first panel depicts the S'Klallam people through imagery rooted in traditional weaving patterns and canoe culture. Marea worked directly with S'Klallam cultural advisors and included text in the Klallam language alongside English.
The second panel depicts the fishing and logging era through the faces and tools of the workers who lived it, including the largely invisible contributions of Chinese and Japanese laborers. The third honors Filipino, Mexican, and Portuguese immigrants who arrived through the mid-20th century cannery and agricultural industries.
The fifth and final panel is abstract in form, dominated by blues and greens, with hand-painted contributions from over 200 Port Laken residents who participated in community painting sessions held over three Saturdays in March.
THE PROCESS
Marea was selected through an open competitive process from 23 submissions. The collective spent the first four months conducting oral history interviews, visiting the Port Laken History Museum, and consulting with the S'Klallam Tribe's cultural department.
"We found things that aren't in any official history," said collective member Daniel Park. "A Japanese American family who ran the city's best-regarded seafood processing operation until 1942, when they were interned and never came back. We put them in."
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
By noon on Saturday, the stretch of Harbor Trail in front of the mural had become the most photographed spot in Port Laken.
Esperanza Delgado, whose grandmother immigrated from Mexico in 1951, stood in front of the third panel for a long time. "My grandmother always said Port Laken never remembered people like her. I'm going to bring her here this weekend. She's 84."
A guided walking tour led by Marea collective members is scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 10 a.m. Free and open to all. Meet at the Harbor Trail trailhead.