During the month of October, Bunnell Street Arts Center hosts exhibits, residencies, live performances, film and community-wide calls for art.
Exhibits and residencies
Fairbanks-based printmaker Ethan Kayaaní Lauesen and Chilkat weaver Laine Rinehart are Bunnell’s exhibiting and artists-in-residence during the month of October.
Kayaaní Lauesen’s show title, “Raven Stole the Stars, Raven Stole My Heart,” reflects a well-known Tlingit story about Raven stealing the sun and where the artist showcases a collection of prints created through their process of self-reflection and personal growth. Of Denaakk’e Koyukon Athabaskan and Lingít, Raven/Dog Salmon clan, Kayaaní Lauesen creates in this body of work a compilation of images exploring spaces, routines and activities where the artist finds themselves reflecting on the past and dreaming of potential futures. Kayaaní Lauesen earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is a recipient of the Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award and the CIRI Foundation visual artist-in-residence at the Anchorage Museum. While in Homer, the artist will teach a printmaking workshop at Homer High School through Artist in the Schools programming.
Weaver Rinehart’s Tlingit name is Neech Yannagut Yéil. They are of the Teeyhítan clan from Wrangell and a child of the Kagwaantan through their father’s side and a maternally descendant from Taos Pueblo on their mother’s side. In the summer of 2010, Rinehart began weaving with Chilkat weavers Kay Parker and has since worked with Chilkat weavers Lily Hope and her mother Clarissa Rizal. Rinehart is grateful to have been allowed to participate in a way of being that they said would generally be unavailable to men, they strive to honor the practices and traditions of Chilkat weaving through the use of materials like mountain goat hair and yellow cedar bark. Rinehart engages with communities across Alaska by sharing their craft through weaving demonstrations, speaking engagements and workshops. On Saturday, Oct. 18 from 1-5 p.m., Rinehart will host an intergenerational Chilkat keychain weaving workshop for ages 14 and up. Pay $25 or $45 as you can; scholarships available by request at info@bunnellarts.org. For more information and to register, visit Bunnell Street Arts Center at bunnellarts.org.
Art events
One Seat Cinema
Join Bunnell for Homer’s newest “black box” cinema experience and exhibit space, curated by Michael Walsh. Featured during the month of October are filmmakers Bruce Farnsworth and Kate Balsley and artist Charles Aguilar with art and screenings ongoing and open during gallery hours.
“End of the World” is a 3-minute digital video created by Bruce Farnsworth in 2020, digital video. Using subtle humor and mid-twentieth century tropes to highlight an apocalyptic theme, at the center of the film is a sculptural installation by artist Stephen Grey, which is the portal into this funny, sarcastic and poignant ode to our current times. Farnsworth is an Anchorage-based writer, artist, and community organizer. He is the founder of the MTS Gallery in Anchorage and served as its director from 2005 through 2011. He is a founding member of Light Brigade, a multimedia collaboration of artists who stage site-specific urban art interventions in the built and natural environment, cofounder of Track & Field, and co-lead artist of Track & Field’s 8Boxes Project.
“Anima Mundi” is a 3-minute digital video created by Kate Balsley in 2010. Balsley’s experimental animation combines thousands of individual images of flowers, both wild and cultivated, to “create a unique, fluid aesthetic, celebrating the beauty of the natural world.” Balsley is an educator, video artist, screenwriter and animator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been featured in venues such as the LA Filmforum, the Anthology Film Archives, the Museum of the Moving Image and the ICA Boston. Her films, videos and screenplays have explored topics ranging from sexual harassment to space exploration. She is also fascinated by visual abstraction, and our perceptions of the natural world. Among her awards include Best Experimental from the Athens International Film and Video Festival and a Jury’s Choice Award from the Thomas Edison Film Festival. However, Balsley highly values education and teaching is her first priority. She is currently an Associate Professor of Film at Georgia Gwinnett College near Atlanta.
Charles Aguilar is a multimedia artist whose work encompasses music, theater, puppeteering, sculpture and mixed-media visual arts. From the silly to the sublime, Aguilar’s work reflects his belief and practice that “art is magik” and comes from a place deep within our dreams and subconscious.
Curator, archivist, arts administrator and studio artist Michael Walsh has worked in moving image art since the early 1990s. He has curated programs for San Francisco museums and micro-cinemas, Korean galleries, Milwaukee’s urban meadows and shipyards, Alaskan airplane hangars, bunkers and mountain tops. He identifies with the experimental, avant-garde film practices of the 1960s and champions this tradition in programs interweaving 21st century moving image practices and philosophies. Most recently, Walsh was curator and archivist for the Walkers Art Center’s moving image program in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Bunnell Arts by Air
On Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m., Bunnell Arts by Air presents Jenny Baker in concert at Bunnell and broadcast live on KBBI AM890. Join the live studio audience, with in-person audiences seated by 6:45 p.m. Baker was raised on alfalfa bluegrass and lava rock in Bend, Oregon. Choir robes and playing festivals with The Colored Pencils in the late 1990s fueled the fire. She released her first album in 2003, was voted Bend’s Best Musician in 2004, and released a full-band 5 song EP in 2005. Since moving to Alaska in 2005, she has played at the Fireweed Festival, Trapper Creek Bluegrass, Anchorage Folk Festival, Salmon Stock, and most recently, Concert on the Lawn, Salmon Jam and Chickenstock. She played with the B52’s tribute band, the B-49s in 2018-2019 and has spent the last six years raising her family. She booked herself a mini tour this summer and is ready for her arctic coastal soul to fall back home to Homer.
FilmJam
Curated by Michael Walsh, FilmJam25 is an evening of single-channel and multi-channel projection cinema, alongside performance, storytelling and music by some of Alaska’s most adventurous makers. Some of the artists include Kelly Moneymaker, Martha Colburn, Erin Pollok, Erin Hollowell, Carolyn Norton, Daniel Perry, Caressa Starshine, Mike Conti, Bruce Farnsworth and more. FilmJam, held Saturday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m., is for mature audiences (18+) only or accompanied by parent/guardian. Tickets are $25 and available at Bunnellarts.org.
Calls for art
10×10 Member’s Show Exhibit
Artists are invited to participate in Bunnell Street Arts Center’s annual 10×10 Member’s Show Exhibit. This exhibit opportunity is open to all Bunnell members. Artwork and registration are due by Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. With support from Homer Art and Frame, there are a limited number of 10-inch-by-10-inch wooden panels available at the gallery for participating members.
Requirements:
Artwork can be any medium, but it must be 10 inches in any direction
Artwork must be ready to hang and be labeled with artist’s name and title
Participating artists must be current members of Bunnell Street Arts Center
Members may submit up to three works priced at $100/$200/$300/$400/$500
Artwork does not have to be for sale
Wooden 10-inch-by-10-inch panels are available at Bunnell, while supplies last
Artwork must be registered online by Friday, Oct. 31
Artwork is due to Bunnell by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31
Work may be mailed to Bunnell Street Arts Center at 106 West Bunnell Ave, Suite A., Homer, AK 99603
Artists are responsible for picking up or paying for return shipping for work that does not sell.
New artist members are welcome to join at a $25 introductory membership donation. Renewing members are invited to join at a $5/monthly recurring donation, or a $50 individual donation. Current members are welcome and encouraged to exhibit.
Visual Arts Exhibit
Bunnell announces a call for applications to Bunnell’s Visual Arts Exhibit 2027-2028 season. The application period runs through Friday, Oct. 31. Apply at www.callforentry.org. A community tradition established in 1991, Bunnell Street Arts Center’s Visual Arts Exhibit program demonstrates over 30 years of innovation, experimentation and excellence. Exhibits nurture and promote Alaska artists with opportunities for professional development, networking and creative exchange. Exhibits create dialog and engagement with Bunnell’s expansive community around Alaska’s artistic heritage and diversity. Learn more at Bunnellarts.org.
Requirements:
Applications are open to Alaska artists and curators working in any media
Formats may include solo exhibits, group exhibits, interdisciplinary shows, and shows curated by Alaska artists, curators, and culture bearers
Application is for exhibits to be scheduled 2027-2028
Applications are due Oct. 31
Work need not be for sale
There is a $25 application fee (Needs-based waivers are available).
Exhibits open the first Friday of every month with a public reception and artist talk. Exhibits and talks are shared through Bunnell’s online platforms, including Bunnell’s webpage, online store and social media, and archived on the Bunnell website. Additional applicant questions can be directed to Bunnell’s Artistic Director, Asia Freeman at asia@bunnellarts.org.
Ursa Major Fund
The Ursa Major Fund administered by Bunnell Street Arts Center supports the independent, self-organized work of artists, small groups and collaborators playing a crucial role within Alaska’s cultural ecosystem. Grants allow artists to create artwork that engages their communities and experiments with new possibilities. Bunnell Street Arts Center will award a total of $60,000 via fifteen grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to Alaska artists. Applications close Friday, Oct. 31. Applications will be adjudicated by a panel of jurors primarily from outside of Alaska. Awards will be made and announced in early 2026. The Ursa Major Fund is a Regional Regranting Program created and funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and administered by Bunnell Street Arts Center. Apply on bunnellarts.submittable.com/submit. Learn more about eligibility, deadlines and more at www.UrsaMajor.fund. For more information, contact Bunnell staff at UrsaMajor@bunnellarts.org.
For more information and to see Bunnell’s exhibits in person, visit the gallery at 106 W. Bunnell Avenue. Find them online at bunnellarts.org.
Bunnell Street Arts Center hosts One Seat Cinema, Homer’s newest “black box” cinema experience and exhibit space curated by Michael Walsh. Photo provided by Bunnell Street Arts Center
Martha Colburn’s video, “Day of Dutch,” will screen as part of Bunnell Street Art Center’s FilmJam on Nov. 1, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Bunnell Street Arts Center
Bunnell Arts by Air presents Jenny Baker, live in concert at Bunnell Street Arts Center and broadcast on KBBI AM 890 on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, at 7 p.m. in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Bunnell Street Arts Center
Bunnell Street Arts Center announces a call for applications to their Visual Arts Exhibit 2027-2028 season in Homer, Alaska. The application period closes Oct. 31, 2025. Photo provided by Bunnell Street Arts Center
