Summer is in full swing and Homer’s galleries and other art spaces celebrate artists’ creative endeavors with First Friday opening receptions. Take in the art walk, meet the artists and enjoy the wide variety of mediums on display this month.
Art Shop Gallery
202 W. Pioneer Ave.
Photography by Taz Tally
First Friday opening reception, 5-7 p.m.
Art Shop Gallery hosts “Sadie Peak in Spring,” the newest black-and-white image by Homer photographer, author and adventurer, Taz Tally. In this image, Sadie Peak and its ridgelines and reflections are showcased, with Kachemak Bay in the foreground and surrounded by the Southern Kenai Mountains. Tally chose this two-tone black-and-white medium to emphasize the striking topographic structures and textures that receding winter snows reveal in the spring. Capturing landscape images for more than 60 years, Tally prefers black and white for the way the medium highlights the structures, textures and fabrics found in nature. Although when color is a primary scene element, he also relishes capturing chroma as well as tone. Tally’s photography is available at the Art Shop Gallery year-round.
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
Sculptures, masks and mixed media by Lawrence R. ‘Ulaaq’ Ahvakana
First Friday opening reception, 5-7 p.m. Artist Talk, 6 p.m.
Bunnell Street Arts Center presents “Inuit Expressions / Inupiat way of being” by Inupiat artist, Lawrence R. “Ulaaq” Ahvakana. Inspired by Inuit stories from everyday Northern Alaska lifestyle of subsistence, ceremonies and the natural cycles of Arctic living, Ahvakana depicts these in stone, wood, bronze, glass and others including prints, paintings and drawings. A professional sculptor for more than 50 years, Ahvakana is Inupiaq/Norwegian from Utkiagvik/Barrow, Tigiraq/Point Hope, Alaska. After graduating from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe in 1968, he attended the College of Santa Fe, Cooper Union School of Art in New York City and Rhode Island School of Design. Enjoy the exhibit and hear him discuss his work during a talk at 6 p.m.
Creative Fires Studio and Dean Gallery
40374 Waterman Road
New and current work
Open 5-7:30 p.m. First Friday
The Dean Gallery invites everyone to stop by and browse their unique gallery space, which features Jeff’s heat-colored steel wall art, including his newest layered steel and wood wall sculpture, “Fishing Bear with Raven,” a 6-foot tall piece that depicts a black bear straddling a mountain stream under the watchful eye of a raven sitting above in a rhododendron tree. Also enjoy originals and reproductions of M’fanwy’s intricately carved maple panels and Ranja’s graphite drawings. You’ll also find bronze and wood sculptures, cards, stickers and other gift items.
Fireweed Gallery
475 E. Pioneer Ave.
Watercolor and acrylic paintings by Melinda Hershberger
First Friday opening reception, 5-7 p.m.
Fireweed Gallery hosts “Retrospective,” an exhibit of watercolor and acrylic paintings by Melinda Hershberger, a lifelong Alaskan and artist living in Soldotna. A member of the Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society for the past 14 years, Hershberger is inspired in her work by the boundless beauty of Alaska and she enjoys painting flowers, still life, portraits and animals portrayed through realism and natural representation. “Retrospective” provides the viewer a glimpse into the artist’s ongoing journey working in both mediums, which she describes as an ongoing adventure.
Grace Ridge Brewing
870 Smoky Bay Way off Lake Street
Multidisciplinary work by Batty Oakes
First Friday opening reception, 5-7 p.m.
Grace Ridge Brewing presents work by Batty Oakes, a 24-year-old multidisciplinary artist working from a military-issue tanker desk in a yurt in Fritz Creek. Oakes is inspired by the beauty of the landscape around her and the dance of human relation. Her proudest work is her ongoing zine, “Whatever, Is,” cataloging lessons learned through distilled journal fragments.
Homer Council on the Arts
355 W. Pioneer Ave.
Photography by Jason Kim
First Friday opening reception, 5-7 p.m.
Homer Council on the Arts showcases “Road to Homer” photography by Jason Kim. Meet the artist and hear tales of the trials and tribulations involved in his journey from Baltimore to settling in Homer. This exhibit is the result of the five years, two van builds, four cross-country road trips and one pandemic that it took for him to finally make it to Alaska. This exhibit opening coincides with the one-year anniversary of his arrival into Homer.
Although the journey to get here was a long and winding path with many unexpected turns, Kim draws a straight line from where it all began in the summer of 2017, in Iceland with its volcanoes and glaciers, and ever-changing weather and landscapes, leaving him knowing that he wanted to leave Baltimore, live close to mountains and the ocean and build a camper van and drive to his new home. Thus began his journey north.
The images in “Road to Homer” tell the story of his journey home to Homer. With his photography, Kim seeks to capture a sense of exploration and adventure, exploring the balance between peace and chaos and inviting the viewer to discover their inner landscapes, hidden amidst the vast and untamed wilderness.
Find HCOA’s July artist, Jenifer Cameron and her ocean-themed macro images in the gallery at South Peninsula Hospital through September.
Pratt Museum & Park
3779 Bartlett St.
In A Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories
First Friday free admission 4-6 p.m., no reception
Pratt Museum & Park hosts their summer exhibit, “In a Time of Change: Boreal Forest Stories,” that runs through September, a cross-disciplinary, collaborative project examining change in the boreal forest through narrative. For over a year and a half, 44 creators, including artists, writers, environmental educators and humanities scholars exchanged knowledge and perspectives on the boreal forest with scientists and explored narrative as it applies across the disciplines. Through their original works, participants relate stories rooted in the boreal forest, including its ecology, its inhabitants, and their interactions.
Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
Underwater Photography by Marcelle McDannel
First Friday pop-up show, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Ptarmigan Arts presents a pop-up showcase of underwater photography by their newest member, Marcelle McDannel of Alaskan Underwater Imagery. As a cold water diver, McDannel goes to extraordinary lengths to capture unique imagery, like an Alaskan King Crab scurrying across the ocean floor or the dazzling reds and oranges of a poisonous Lion’s Mane jellyfish drifting in a swell, with a goal of conveying the sense of awe she feels while capturing these experiences and images.
“Kelp Creatures I,” a photograph by Homer photographer Marcelle McDannel, is on display as part of her solo exhibit at Ptarmigan Arts through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Ptarmigan Arts
“Work in Progress,” a multimedia piece on canvas by Fritz Creek artist Batty Oakes, is on display at Grace Ridge Brewing through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Batty Oakes
“Fishing Bear with Raven,” a wall sculpture by Homer artist Jeff Dean, is on display at Creative Fire Studios out East End Road through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Jeff Dean
“Sadie Peak in Spring,” the newest photograph to be debuted by Homer photographer Taz Tally, will be on display alongside his other work at the Art Shop Gallery through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Taz Tally
“Water Spirit Dancer” by Inupiaq-Norwegian artist Lawrence Ahvakana is on display in his exhibit, “Inuit Expressions – Inupiat way of being,” at Bunnell Street Arts Center through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Bunnell Street Arts Center
A watercolor painting by Soldotna artist Melinda Herschberger is part of her watercolor and acrylic paintings exhibit, “Retrospective,” at Fireweed Gallery through August in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Fireweed Gallery
