By Jacqueline McDonough

For the Homer Independent Press

The daffodils may be taking their sweet time to emerge from grey lawns, but there’s no shortage of brilliant colors in Homer. Take advantage of the longer daylight of April to check out these new shows for First Friday. For those looking for a spring tonic to rejuvenate their own creative spirit, don’t miss the two openings that feature the artistic visions of local youth.

Bunnell Street Arts Center 

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Artist in residence exhibit by Tamara Burgh

Opening Reception 5-7 p.m., Artist talk, 6 p.m.

This collection of watercolor illustrations and woodblock prints is inspired by the artist’s spiritual and metaphysical journeys and draws on her Swedish and Inupiaq/Kawerak heritage. Through Indigenous-identifying imagery, Burgh’s art promotes the transition from shame to healing. The exhibit is open through April 29, and the artist will be offering a watercolor workshop on April 15; registration is through the gallery’s website.

Artist Statement

“I discovered the book ‘Alaskan Igloo Tales (c. 1974, illustrations by G. Agupuk) years ago while working in Nome, Alaska’s Indian Education Art and Culture Program. At that time, the stories in this book felt strange and distant from modern Native culture and experience.

“My self-studies in myth, history, Native cultures, and spirituality renewed my interest in the fascinating and inspiring stories in ‘Alaskan Igloo Tales.’ I’ve chosen to visually reinterpret the book’s Inupiaq-identifying stories based on my new understanding, gained through studying Joseph Campbell’s mythic language and symbols.

“This project started with two residencies at IAIA in Santa Fe and continued with a residency at Makotaay Art Village in Taiwan. I’ve illustrated all thirty stories in watercolor. These watercolor sketches serve as composition and color studies for moku hanga, a Japanese woodblock-style printmaking process.”

The Dean Gallery

40374 Waterman Rd

New heat-colored steel engravings by Jeffrey Dean

Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.

The Dean Gallery is featuring new heat-colored steel engravings by Jeff, including “Morning Rampage,” a 24-inch-by-30-inch  engraving of a mammoth charging through the snow framed with reclaimed redwood. Others include “Baffled by Brancusi,” “Spoleto Statione,” and “Lower Kuskokwim.” These works involve the innovative use of engraving, grinding, and color to transform sheet steel into pieces with dynamic visual effects that change with the light.


“The Room”

Fat Olives
276 Ohlson Lane

Work by Marjorie Scholl and Deland Anderson
4-6 p.m.

See art and enjoy small bites and drinks in “The Room,” a new banquet space next to Fat Olives. Artists Majorie Scholl and Deland Anderson will visit.

Grace Ridge Brewing

870 Smoky Bay Way 

New works by Jessica Seeley and by Jacklyn Sweet

Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.

Originally from Wichita, Seward resident Jessica Seely draws her inspiration from Alaska’s vast array of wildflowers and wildlife. While she “dabbles in a hodgepodge of various mediums,” her most recent work has been made of watercolor and acrylic paint pens on watercolor paper. She was gifted these materials by her late grandfather Eugene, whom she credits as an avid watercolor artist and someone who always encouraged her to channel her own creativity. 

Jacklyn Sweet was born in Fairbanks and has lived in rural Alaska for much of her life. She uses ink, acrylic and watercolor paint, gels, and resin, along with found objects both thrifted and from nature, to create a style she describes as “something akin to intuitive expressionism.”


She writes, “I am forever trying to capture the sense of connection to the planet and the universe. The passionate feeling of being one with nature & spirit and the resonance of that is what inspires my creations.”

Homer Council on the Arts 

355 W. Pioneer Ave.

2026 Jubilee! Celebrating Youth in the Arts, by local youth artists

Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.

Join in celebrating the home-grown talent, with artistic expression that runs the gamut from paintings to cyanotypes to mixed media. This show, an annual tradition for over 35 years, can be viewed from April 3-27, though the opening reception is the place to be, to both encourage and be inspired by these young creators.

HCOA at South Peninsula Hospital

4300 Bartlett St.

A Landscape of Wild Mystery by Sky Cady

No opening reception

Homer photographer Cady’s collection of Alaskan landscapes printed on vinyl and aluminum will grace the halls of South Peninsula Hospital through June 1.

Artist Statement

“Alaskan landscapes are a small window into the rugged, wild, and untamed nature of the human soul. My soul. Longs for freedom. Longs for adventure.  In the drum of daily life we often buzz along our routines with only hiccups of joy. But when I look at this kind of creation. This kind of beauty. At this kind of raw power and strangeness displayed in the unfiltered colors of the wildland, my heart leaps with awe.  Because I am overcome with my own inability to comprehend the complexity and undiscovered mystery of what’s out there behind that mountain, down that crevasse, behind that willow grove, under that tussock, 4 foot under the surface of a raging canyon stream, 10 miles up a valley that only 3 people have traversed in the last 2 years. When I look at these photos and this landscape my mind and heart is stretched by what I see that is yet to be discovered. The things that no human eye has seen, or that very few have looked at. When I see something in the wild that there’s a good chance no one has thought about or looked at I feel closer to God. I connect with Him as I realize that He and I are the only ones in that moment who have experienced this. God and I have this one thing in common that no one else has. These moments staring at these photos and discovering the wild remote places of the planet bring me joy as I feel a closer connection with the one who made it all. Moments in time and space that are original and unique are hard to come by. And I believe God finds joy in me finding the moments to live with Him.  That’s why I like staying off the trails. That’s why I like going into that inhospitable place – because no one else is – and there – finding something that no one else has.”

Pratt Museum

3779 Bartlett St.

50 Years of Limited Entry: The Closing of Alaska’s Salmon Commons

Reception, 4-6 p.m.

This special exhibit examines the origins and effects of the Limited Entry Program, the 1973 legislative change that sought to impose order on commercial fishing in coastal Alaska. As much a social engineering program as a conservation effort, the story of Limited Entry is both instructive and cautionary. To create this special exhibit, the Kodiak Maritime Museum conducted archival research and interviewed fishermen and fisheries policy makers. In addition, this exhibition features art, photographs, and materials from the Pratt Museum’s permanent collection. It opened at the start of the year in the Main Gallery and will be on display through mid-May.

Ptarmigan Arts

471 E. Pioneer Ave

The Third Annual Kids Show, by many youth artists

Opening Reception, 5-7 p.m.

Come support the next generation of Homer artists! Ptarmigan Arts will hold a month-long pop-up showcasing work by the kids and grandkids of current Ptarmigan members. This show has something for everyone, featuring jewelry, paintings, handmade soaps, woodworking, origami, metal sculptures, block-printed clothing, cards and more. The show will run April 3-26, but the opening reception is your chance to meet the next wave of local talent.