Homer’s galleries and public art spaces celebrate spring with exhibits by local and Kenai Peninsula artists. Stroll the galleries, meet the artists and enjoy the variety of mediums on display.
Art Shop Gallery
202 W. Pioneer Ave.
Acrylic Paintings by Ashley Story
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Art Shop Gallery presents original acrylic paintings by Homer artist Ashley Story. New to painting, she began exploring her creativity as a form of exploration and expression and a way to work through her experiences of loss and heartache. Visit the gallery online at artshopgallery.com.
Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
“The Inner Garden,” paintings by Brianna Lee
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m. Artist talk, 6 p.m.
Bunnell Street Arts Center presents “The Inner Garden,” paintings by Homer artist Brianna Lee created for a book of the same name by Megan Murphy. As a working mother, Lee’s artmaking has become a lesser priority and when invited by Murphy to collaborate on artwork for her book, she was honored to accept the offer. The collaboration has reminded Lee of the importance of nurturing her artist within. Lee received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. She moved to Homer in 2008 and spent her first years as a studio assistant to a local potter, painting and managing a local bakery while simultaneously showing her work inside local cafes and galleries. She has taught youth art classes and facilitated an after-school art program. She is a mother, farmer, and nature enthusiast and has been on staff at Bunnell since 2019. Enjoy a book reading by Megan Murphy and conversation with collaborators Ilarion (Kuuyux) Merculieff and Brianna Lee on Saturday, May 24, 6 p.m. Visit the gallery at bunnellarts.org.
Fireweed Gallery
475 E. Pioneer Ave.
Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society’s 29th Annual Spring Show
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Fireweed Gallery hosts the Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society’s 29th Annual Spring Show. KBWS members present new work in a variety of subjects. Also shown will be the ever popular and newly created collaborative painting where KBWS members individually receive a segment of the complete image and use their own technique and pallet in rendering their square with the individual portions then combined to create a whole work. Visit the gallery online at fireweedgallery.com.
Grace Ridge Brewing
870 Smoky Bay Way
Sandhill crane paintings by E.M. Remme
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Grace Ridge Brewing presents abstract sandhill crane paintings by Anchorage artist E.M. Remme, a lifelong Alaskan with an interest in diverse artistic expression and medias such as painting, photography, textiles and digital imagery. Remme earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Art from UAA, where she continued to explore oil painting and regularly took part in Anchorage’s First Friday Art Walk. She curated the 20th Anniversary Celebrations for both Denali Dreams Soap Co. and Snow City Cafe and managed Snow City’s First Friday exhibitions from 2015 to 2018. In 2021, the same year she began painting Sandhill cranes, she participated in Mary Epperson Day at Homer Council on the Arts as a booth exhibitor. That year, Remme also received an Individual Artist Grant from the Cook Inlet Lending Center. Her artwork has been showcased at venues including the Pratt Museum, Studio 223, Anchorage Yoga, and 49th State Brewery. In honor of Shorebird Festival, this exhibit features a collection of abstract sandhill crane paintings created using impasto techniques.
Homer Council on the Arts
355 W. Pioneer Ave.
“Between Two Mountains,” paintings by Kellie Kekich
Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.
Homer Council on the Arts presents “Between Two Mountains,” paintings by Homer artist Kellie Kekich that celebrate life outdoors with friends and family. Visit HCOA at homerart.org.
Pratt Museum
3779 Bartlett St.
“Bering Sea Storms: Past to Present”
Free entry, First Friday, 4-6 p.m.
Pratt Museum continues its exhibit “Bering Sea Storms: Past to Present,” a mixed media presentation that focuses on the 2022 research cruise aboard the R/V Sikuliaq. Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab Director Chris Maio and UAF Geophysical Institute PhD student Reyce Bogardus will discuss the research methods and activities, life aboard the ship and inclusion of Indigenous partners from the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska.
Maio has over 15 years of experience investigating coastal hazards and their impacts on people and the environment. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and serves as the director of both the Arctic Coastal Geoscience Lab and the Alaska Coastal Cooperative. His current research integrates coastal hazard assessments with local and Indigenous knowledge to understand and educate about how a warming climate is impacting rural coastal communities. His current research is contributing to a societally relevant data gap in the Aleutians through sedimentological reconstructions of intense storms and volcanic activity as well as validated hydro-dynamic models fed by real-world observations. All three galleries of the museum will be open, as well as the museum store. Visit the museum online at prattmuseum.org.
Ptarmigan Arts
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
New work by members
Gallery hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Sunday
Ptarmigan Arts invites community members to see new work by co-op members, including knitwear by Michelle Anderson and wire-wrapped stone jewelry by Allison Galbraith. Visit the gallery online at ptarmiganarts.com.
South Peninsula Hospital
4300 Bartlett St.
HCOA hosts exhibits in the South Peninsula Hospital gallery. For May, they feature “Still,” oil paintings by Kenai artist Abbey Ulen. This body of work showcases Ulen’s nostalgia from a collection of images from 8mm home movies, old magazine articles, her family photo albums and personal snapshots. Find the gallery wall in the main entrance and hallway by the lab.
The Dean Gallery
40374 Waterman Rd.
“New work & Open Studio”
Open 5-7 p.m.
The Dean Gallery is family-owned and features contemporary art by M’fanwy, Ranja and Jeff Dean. In the gallery are also intricately carved wood panels, bronze sculptures, metal and wood wall art, seed bead jewelry and specialty prints on metal, wood, and paper. On Friday, April 4, the gallery will host an open studio where visitors can see Jeff’s completed four-panel commission, “Flight of the Eagle” for the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation hospital in Bethel. Twenty feet long, the piece features four heat-colored steel eagles on a rusted and heat-colored steel and stained and textured birch plywood background. Visit them online at deangallery.com.
“Dancing Giants” is an oil-on-canvas mixed media artwork by Eve Remme, on display through May at Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Eve Remme
“Coffee Table” is an acrylic painting by Ashley Story on display through May at the Art Shop Gallery in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by the Art Shop Gallery
“Bear Cove,” an oil on board painting by Homer artist Kellie Kekich, is on display through May at Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Homer Council on the Arts
Wire-wrapped jewelry by Allison Galbraith is just one example of new work by co-op artists on display in May at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Ptarmigan Arts
The Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society’s annual collaboration painting, “Otter Flotilla,” is on display through June in their exhibit at Fireweed Gallery in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Fireweed Gallery
