First Friday Events

Art Shop Gallery

448 E. Pioneer Ave.

The Old and the New

5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

The Art Shop Gallery cleans out old items with an “all you can stuff” bag sale of frames, prints, glass and mats. Bags are $10 or $20. For the new, it features Free Spirit jerseys and jackets by Homer artist Kathy Sarns and SPY optic sunglasses.

Bunnell Street Arts Center

106 W. Bunnell Ave.

Installation by Adrien Segal

5-7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception;
6 p.m., artists talk

May Old Town Artist in Residence Adrien Segal speaks about her project. Segal has a bachelor of fine arts in furniture making, and creates works she calls “data sculptures.” Of her project, she writes, “I will use the time at the residency to collaborate with organizations that conduct scientific research in Homer’s unique natural setting that would be translated into sculptural forms, such as Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, which monitors sea level rise, changes in fresh and marine water temperature, storm events, and coastal uplift. This data, when explored as graphs can be the basis of a sculpture.”

Also visiting at the reception are artists Jimmy Riordan, Jesus Landin Torrez III and Michael Gerace who will be creating a large clay sculpture on Bishop’s Beach late this month.

Fireweed Gallery

475 E. Pioneer Ave.

18th annual spring show by Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society
Zen Gardens and Ceremonial Tea Bowls by Chris Story

5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

For its 18th annual spring show, the Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society once again features a collaborative, multipanel painting. The watercolor society was founded in 1997 by a small group of artists to share techniques and experience, and develop a forum to display its art.

Born and raised in Homer, ceramic artist Chris Story has been working in clay for 25 years, first learning from Jack Walsh during his high school years. Story went on to create several businesses in pottery and has shown his work in gift shops, galleries and museums in eight states. After a long break from working in clay, he recently started working with Carl Bice through the Kachemak Bay Campus pottery class. He has worked in low-fire primitive pottery, low-fire table ware with brightly decorated designs and stoneware traditional pottery. This show is a series inspired by ancient Japanese forms, using texture and color combined with the technique of throwing off the hump, which is a large lump of clay centered on the wheel head while small pieces are thrown and removed from the large hump of clay.

Homer Council on the Arts

344 W. Pioneer Ave.

PhotoVoice, by various artists

5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

All the photographs and text in this collection center on the prompt: “What things do you see in Homer that might affect someone your age’s decision to drink or not to drink alcohol?” Students at Homer Middle School and Homer High School were asked to take photos that answered this question, choose one photo for display and write about it. PhotoVoice is a model that not only raises awareness about particular community issues, but can be used as an evaluation tool to find out about the attitudes, beliefs and perspectives of its participants through photography.

Knitty Stash

3581 B. Main Street

Bird Paintings by Erin Rae D’Eimon

5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

Erin Rae D’Eimon is an Alaska oil painter and enthusiastic birder. She is inspired by nature, color, natural history and scientific illustration. She strives to capture the unions of small and vast, of space and subject, and of color and emotion. Each piece is large and colorful and painted on birch panel with oils. Erin was born and raised in Alaska where she became enchanted with nature and the tiny delights it has to offer.

Picture Alaska

448 E. Pioneer Ave.

Plein Air Painters of Alaska, paintings by various artists

5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception

Picture Alaska features works by artists from the Anchorage area who comprise an informal “Plein Air Painters of Alaska.” Participating are Pat Bliss, Betty Atkinson, Chris Zafren, K.N. Goodrich, Kurt Jacobson, Alexandra Sonneborn, Nancy Angelini-Crawford, Anne Hansen, Dot Tideman, Nancy Brandt-Erichsen, Cynthia Calder Kolstad, Don Kolstad, Lynn Boots and Marianne Wieland. The artists regularly meet to paint together on location to “capture the mood of the moment” on canvas or paper. They also work together to participate in auctions and shows benefiting the area’s nonprofits. Don and Cynthia Kolstad will be at the opening to answer questions and discuss the art.

Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery

471 E. Pioneer Ave.

Migration, work by various artists

5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

With shorebirds beginning to arrive, Ptarmigan Arts celebrates May’s First Friday by taking a look at the phenomena known as migration. Artists depict this process of yearly migration through the use of photography, paint, paper, fiber, beads and natural materials in two and three dimensional works. Artists included are Dan Fischer, Beverly Macy, Heather Andersen, Carol and Chris Beverly, Kathie Baldwin, Jeanne Sims, Ted Heuer, Gary Lyon, Jean Steele, Cindy Nelson, Ellen Halseth, Toby Tyler, Kathi Drew and Joanne Thordarson.

West Homer Elementary School

995 Soundview Ave.

All-student art show, work by various artists

5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception

West Homer Elementary holds an all-school student art exhibit. Comments will be made by local artists on each piece. Tables with art activities including a table of art trading cards will be available for all who attend.