March First Friday
Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026
As we shift ever closer to spring, creativity abounds and Homer galleries and art spaces showcase work by local and statewide artists, as well as live art activities including music and ceramics. Take the opportunity to stroll downtown, meet artists and enjoy the variety of mediums on display.
Art Shop Gallery
202 W. Pioneer Ave.
Next monthly exhibit will be May
Gallery hours Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Art Shop Gallery will host their next monthly exhibit in May. Until then, their hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the gallery online at artshopgallery.com.
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
“Just Listen,” paintings by Austin Parkhill
Opening 5-7 p.m. Artist talk, 6 p.m.
Featured Artist — Bunnell Street Arts Center presents “Just Listen,” paintings by Austin Parkhill. A Homer-based artist, Parkhill’s creativity is influenced by a habitual connection to natural place, including areas surrounding those he has called home — Denver, Boston and Barrow, among others. Standing barefoot in moss, calling to owls, tasting hoarfrost … the terrain, early light, water and their interconnectivity shape his work. This selection of works is the result of the artist’s deep listening. Parkhill’s paintings have been exhibited widely, including at the Smithsonian Natural Portrait Gallery, the Anchorage Museum, and others.
Painted Plate Project — Through the month of March, community members are invited to paint a commemorative plate for Bunnell’s 32nd Annual Plate Project fundraiser, with bisqued, handmade ceramic plates made by local potters becoming canvases for food-safe underglazes. Plates are exhibited at the Plate Project Opening in May and selected by new and renewing Bunnell members in thanks for donations. Painters may paint in-person during gallery business hours or take plates home, with all due back by Tuesday, April 1. This project welcomes adult and older teen artists. For more information, contact Brianna Lee, b.lee@bunnellarts.com.
Live Performance Art — Bunnell Arts by Air presents The Cosmic Warblers, a chorus concert on Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. “Eras” is a diverse musical journey with local musicians Karen Strid on piano, Bill White on guitar, Elizabeth White on viola alongside vocalists Sunrose Olsen, Teddy Handley, Dave Welty, Britny Bradshaw, Jim Anderson, Madi Gilbert, Jody Gaines, Emily Riedel and Eston Youngblood. Community members can expect to hear music from a variety of Eras, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth Century and Contemporary. Community members are invited to the live performance in the gallery with seating by 6:45 p.m. The performance can also be heard live on KBBI AM 890, kbbi.org.
For information on these and all of Bunnell’s upcoming events and activities, visit the gallery online at bunnellarts.org.
Grace Ridge Brewing
870 Smoky Bay Way
Pen, ink and gouache by Renee McConnohie
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Grace Ridge Brewing presents Renee McConnohie, an Anchorage artist whose creativity includes pen, ink, gouache and acrylics. With work shaped by outdoor adventures such as open-water swimming, trail running and cross-country skiing, McConnohie’s pieces are playful, detail-driven compositions that invite the viewer to slow down and notice the wonderful and the whimsical.
Homer Council on the Arts
355 W. Pioneer Ave.
“Tied in Knots,” macrame art by Chelsea Carpenter
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Homer Council on the Arts presents “Tied in Knots,” macrame art by Homer artist Chelsea Carpenter. Struggling as she observes the state of the global community, while also suffering through personal losses, Carpenter’s macraweave art helps her process pain and find solace and is intended to reflect hope, beauty and peace. Inspired by nature and the abstract, she is drawn to the colors and life of flowers and so for this show, chose to focus on the power of blossoms — the beauty of flowers as they grow, unfurl, and offer hope of continual beauty. In “Tied in Knots,” Carpenter found herself considering the emotions she wanted the flowers to impart and associated colors — blue for calming, pink for nurturing compassion and love and orange for happiness, enthusiasm and warmth. Through this exhibit, the artist strives to inspire a moment of calm release, an unknotting of one’s own struggles and the invitation to seek one’s own form of artistic healing.
HCOA is currently also hosting Ceramic Classes for all ages and skill levels. For more information on this month’s featured artist and other upcoming art activities and exhibits, visit HCOA online at homerart.org.
Homer Public Library
500 Hazel Ave.
Multimedia work by Joella Clove
Friends of the Homer Public Library hosts quarterly special exhibits in the Fireplace Lounge. On display through March is an exhibit of photography and digital drawings by Homer artist Joella Clove, an intuitive artist who blends together the material and energetic realms, favoring expressionist, surrealist and minimalist works. Clove works in watercolor, acrylics and ink, as well as photography and multimedia. Library hours Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Kachemak Bay Campus
533 E. Pioneer Ave.
“Scrimshaw on Antler and Bone,” student work from Conrad Field’s scrimshaw class
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Kachemak Bay Campus hosts a student exhibit of pen and ink scrimshaw from a recent class taught by Homer artist, biologist and naturalist Conrad Field. The art of scrimshaw is an American folk art of engraving images and scenes on bone or ivory. This art form originated with the American whaling industry of the early 18th century with an image scratched into a polished bone or ivory and the etched surface then filled with a pigment. An accomplished artist in the medium of pen and ink scrimshaw, Field recently took a class of students through the steps of scrimshaw art. Using bone and antler found or donated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, students began etching on plexiglass and progressed to etching on bone, and finally, antler. Find the exhibit in KBC’s Pioneer Hall during campus hours.
Pratt Museum
3779 Bartlett St.
“50 years of Limited Entry: The Closing of Alaska’s Salmon Commons”
Opening Reception, 4-6 p.m.
Pratt Museum continues its spring exhibit, “50 years of Limited Entry: The Closing of Alaska’s Salmon Commons,” through mid-May. This thought-provoking exhibit by the Kodiak Maritime Museum examines the conditions that spurred the creation of the Limited Entry Program, the effects it had on Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities over the past half century, and recent proposals to address unintended consequences of the program. In addition to the “50 Years of Limited Entry” exhibit panels, this exhibition features art, photographs and materials from the Pratt Museum’s permanent collection. Visit the museum online at prattmuseum.org.
Ptarmigan Arts
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
“Cabin Fever” annual exhibit
Gallery hours Monday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ptarmigan Arts presents their annual exhibit, “Cabin Fever,” with work by gallery members in a variety of mediums, including acrylic paint, canvas, fiber arts and textiles, wood, collage, sketchbook presentation, glass work, mosaics, jewelry and more. Just like the new little buds and shoots making their appearances, all of the pieces in this show are making their debut. Visitors to the gallery can expect to see new pieces by Kathi Drew, Ted and Beth Heuer, Meriam Linder, Cindy Nelson, Heather Mann, Michelle Michaud, Carole Miller, Kim Schuster, Linda Skelton, Aleda Yourdon, Michelle Anderson and Gary Lyon. Visit the gallery online at ptarmiganarts.com.
The Dean Gallery
40374 Waterman Road
March “Open Studio”
Open 5-7 p.m.
The Dean Gallery is family-owned and features contemporary art by M’fanwy, Ranja and Jeff Dean. On First Friday, the gallery will host an open studio where visitors can see M’fanwy’s intricately carved wood panels, Ranja’s bronze sculptures and drawings and Jeff’s heat-colored metal wall art. Visit them online at deangallery.com.
