First Friday in the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic only has one opening reception, that of the third annual beer label contest at Grace Ridge Brewery.
Face masks are required and with social distancing enforced in the tap room. Because most other galleries are not yet holding receptions, First Friday has come to mean the day when new exhibits open. At Bunnell Street Arts Center and the Pratt Museum, visitors can see the exhibits during regular gallery hours.
Reopening this week after its January hiatus is the Pratt’s new exhibit “Familiar Faces,” art from the museum’s collection with contributions from Kenai Peninsula photographers and writers.
Though not open in person for a reception, Bunnell features a performance via Zoom by Artist in Residence David Brame. An Afrofuturist artist and writer, Brame presents “Dusty Funk and the Cosmodelic Radioverse,” an evening of music and art from 5-7 p.m. Friday. Earlier on Friday at 11 a.m., meet Brame as part of Bunnell’s Inspiration and Adaptation series.
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
“Dusty Funk and the Cosmodelic Radioverse,” installation by David Brame
11 a.m. Friday, Inspiration and Adaptation talk via Zoom
5-7 p.m., First Friday closing talk and immersive art performance via Zoom.
Artist in Residence David Brame closes out his residency with an Inspiration and Adaption talk via Zoom at 11 a.m. Friday. From 5-7 p.m., also via Zoom, he holds a closing talk and performance featuring his Afro-futuristic persona, Dusty Funk. Joining Brame are guest DJs Badjonesrising, John Jennings and Stacey Robinson of Black Kirby and the Motherboxx Collective; Natasha Ross, Denise B. Mcleod and KD Chavez; and musical stylings by Sarush El and LaChewla. Register for the performance at www.bunnellarts.org/david-brame-workshops-afrofuturisim-and-comics.
Brame describes Dusty Funk as including three phases in a series of mixed media art experiences. One phase is the Dusty Funk Psychedelic Afro Future Space Opera, a set of illustrations. The second phase is Dusty Funk and the Wooly Whayl, a “tragic and surreal comic” that follows the narrative path of a five-act opera with an overture, aria and three intermissions between the second, third and fourth acts. The final phase is a collection of installation and performance pieces, Dusty Funk and The Cosmic Creation Comatorium. The installation is on exhibit through Feb. 9. Bunnell is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday and by appointment on Mondays for people who need extra accommodations. Face masks are required with social distancing and five people in the gallery at a time.
Grace Ridge Brewery
3388 B. Street off Ocean Drive
“Third Annual Beer Label Contest,” art by various artists
5-7 p.m., First Friday opening reception
The third annual beer label contest is a collaboration with Grace Ridge Brewery and the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) that celebrates the 20th anniversary of the research reserve. Six artists have submitted designs for Grace Ridge’s ’64 Afterbock, all using the theme “resiliency.” The Afterbock is a a red lager brewed with Urfa chilies from Turkey and dried black limes from Guatemala.
“It is a different way to inform the community of who we are as an organization and to be creative,” said KBNERR education specialist Dana Nelson “I wanted to use the event as a fun way to celebrate KBNERR’s 20th anniversary/birthday and to connect with the community on how they see Kachemak Bay.”
The winning label will be unveiled at 5 p.m. Friday, with 120 bottles of the Afterbock available for sale. Face coverings are required and social distancing is enforced inside the taproom. The outside area with a firepit is open to all.
Pratt Museum
3779 Bartlett St.
“Familiar Faces,” by various artists
No First Friday reception.
The Pratt Museum’s newest exhibit, “Familiar Faces: Portraits of Community,” provides visitors the opportunity to “meet” neighbors and community members throughout history, with up-close observations of individuals and the stories that surround them. “Familiar Faces” features special content by guest community members Joshua Veldstra, Christina Whiting, and Clark Fair, and draws on the Pratt Museum’s permanent collections to illustrate the deeper stories behind and beyond these seemingly simple images. Discover the soul of the community portrayed in this exhibit, and explore what portraits can reveal about the people of Kachemak Bay.
Though there is no First Friday reception, the exhibit can be viewed during regular hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.
Coowe Walker’s design for Grace Ridge Brewery’s ‘64 Afterbock beer label contest to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR). The designs go on exhibit and the winning label will be revealed Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at the brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewery)
Oceana Wills’ design for Grace Ridge Brewery’s ‘64 Afterbock beer label contest to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR). The designs go on exhibit and the winning label will be revealed Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at the brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewery)
Tracey Hansen’s design for Grace Ridge Brewery’s ‘64 Afterbock beer label contest to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR). The designs go on exhibit and the winning label will be revealed Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at the brewery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewery)
Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence David Brame in a photo taken on Dec. 6, 2020, at the gallery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Bunnell Street Arts Center)
A painting of Dusty Funk, ‘s Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence David Brame’s Afro-futuristic persona. Dusty Funk will be featured in an immesrive art installation opening on First Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at the gallery in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Bunnell Street Arts Center)
Melissa Shaginoff’s painting, “Kaggkaggos ts’en zuul (Swan Wing Bone/Drinking Tube), ” is one of the portraits in “Familiar Faces,” opening Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of the Pratt Museum)
