West Homer Elementary, Flex showcase student art for First Friday

Students show off arts and crafts projects and works representing a wide variety of artistic disciplines.

West Homer Elementary and Homer Flex High School both hosted public, student art shows during Homer’s First Friday events last week.

On Friday, May 2, the halls of West Homer were filled with families browsing the student art, ceramics and wall hangings displayed throughout the school. Some teachers were set up at tables in the hallway, working on arts and crafts projects with curious kids like “All About Me Cubes” and doodling little characters made out of painted thumbprints.

In one room, teacher Amy Russell worked with students on a Jackson Pollock-type project; the floor was covered in construction paper, and a yogurt container filled with paint swung like a pendulum from one side of the room to the other. Thanks to the hole punched in the bottom, the swinging vessel created complex patterns on the paper below.

At Flex, students showcased a wide variety of artistic disciplines they’d worked on throughout the semester, including wood burning, visual art, fiber art, and even some fashion and sculptures made out of different materials like cardboard and puzzle pieces. One student, Caden Bice, created a giant stuffed dill pickle out of green felt, sewn by hand. Bree Cathey burned intricate landscapes featuring Victorian houses into wood with a wood burner. In a series of works titled “Lost and Found,” students transformed discarded and recycled materials into textured sculptures, including a nearly 3-foot-long, pitch-black shark. Alma Kedem-Zeligman created a few different art pieces for the show, including an eye-catching oil pastel of the Sterling Highway in the early morning.

Reach reporter Chloe Pleznac at chloe.pleznac@homernews.com

West Homer Elementary school teacher Mrs. Hanks works with kids on crafting “All About Me” cubes on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. The cubes are a way for kids to explore expressing things like their hobbies, family and friendships, and favorite foods, colors, and more. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)

Margaret Gricius stands holding one of her ceramic art pieces, showcased during the annual Arts Extravaganza at West Homer Elementary School on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)

Caden Bice’s felt pickle art on display Friday, May 2, 2025, at Homer Flex High School during their open house, First Friday event showcasing student art, in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)

Student art created from discarded materials sit on display Friday, May 2, 2025, at Homer Flex High School during their open house, in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)