Owen's Playground and
Hannah's Garden
Two Mothers Turn Their Grief into a Playground, Edible Garden, and Touchable Art to Honor Their Children.
Owen’s Playground and Hannah’s Garden were created by two mothers whose grief for the loss of their children provided inspiration for a dream to create something for their community in memory of their little boy and girl. The MHF and others partnered with the two mothers to make their dreams come true. Many local artists and designers participated in this nature-inspired space and their creative additions help to make this a space that is reflective of our West Sound community.
Owen’s Playground
This special play space was created with play structures, water features, a garden, natural areas, locally designed artistic features and more. This playground honors the memory of Owen Marshall and celebrates the lives of all children, including many like Owen, who benefit from adaptive equipment.
Hannah’s Garden and Mural
An edible garden for all seasons and all senses, created in memory of Hannah, is entirely safe for children to touch, smell and even eat the plants. Its gardens and shaded seating areas are accessible to our senior community, creating opportunities to watch children at play and visit in an accessible outdoor setting. The mural, in memory of Hannah's Life, was created by artists Kendall and Nick Mann. Children with physical and intellectual disabilities are able to play side by side with their peers. By incorporating smooth surfacing and other design features, all visitors have equal access to the play areas, gardens, art, and pathways of this new park.
The Caregiver/Rooted Woman art piece is a 9’ tall sculpture supporting three sun sails. Her head, hat and the child were created in bronze. The base was carved in wood with internal space for kids to play. The Caregiver/Rooted Woman was created by sculptor Craig Jacobrown who carves in the NW coastal Salish style. Based on traditional Northwest stories of the Rooted Woman, she is an old woman, who lives or works in the place that a young person visits on their quest and who will offer assistance to the completion of that quest. Sometimes she is simply a character of compassion in an otherwise troublesome place. She anchors the south corner of Owen's Playground, offering inspiration and also shade in this exposed location. This art element stands in honor of all the caregivers who share their compassion, patience and wisdom in our community.
