Bunnell Street Arts Center
106 W. Bunnell Ave.
Cut, Stitch, Press, textiles by Maria Shell
5-7 p.m., First Friday Opening Reception; 6 p.m., artists talk
Maria Shell has been making stitched textile art since 2001 when she took her first class at the Calico Whale quilt shop in Valdez. Her work is firmly grounded in the tradition and craft of American quilt making. She uses vintage and contemporary, commercial, solid and print cotton fabrics, as well as hand dyed cotton fabrics, in her work. These textiles are mostly cut without rulers and stitched into a two-dimensional surface. Using a long arm quilting machine, she then stitches the top to cotton or wool batting and a fabric backing. The final step is to bind or face each individual piece. Shell strives to take the classical components of a traditional bedquilt and manipulate them with the hope of creating surprising combinations of pattern, repetition and color for the viewer.
Fireweed Gallery
475 E. Pioneer Ave.
5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception
The Fireweed Gallery reopens after a short winter hiatus, but does not have a new art opening. Refreshments will be served. Its next exhibit is March 7 with a show by Christina Whiting.
Homer Council on the Arts
344 W. Pioneer Ave.
Under Rock & Leaf, nature illustrations by Kim McNett
5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception
Kim McNett is a naturalist and artist with a bachelor of science from Evergreen State College. She guides school groups for the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies and also works as a kayak guide for St. Augustine’s Kayak and Tours. “The purpose of this body of work is simply to share a small sample of the fascinating, bizarre and beautiful characters of Kachemak Bay,” she writes in her artist’s statement. “The living versions are embedded in my memory as evidence of this bay’s life supporting forces. Tangible, visual and experiential connections to nature improve the quality of life. The drawings presented here are inspired by those connections. It is my hope that awareness of biodiversity will help prioritize its preservation.”
Picture Alaska
448 E. Pioneer Ave.
5-7:30 p.m., First Friday Reception
Picture Alaska and The Upstairs Boutique do not have an art opening, but will hold a First Friday reception with refreshments.
Pratt Museum
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
The Living Tertiary: Kachemak Bay Today And 3-9 Million Years Ago
5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception
Curated by Homer geophysicist Geoff Coble, the exhibit asks, “What was the Kachemak Bay region like 7 million years ago?” Explore the prehistoric Tertiary Period through plant and sea life fossils set alongside their modern-day examples. Paleontology shows just how drastically our local environment has changed — and hints at the importance of understanding our fossil history. “The Living Tertiary” remains on exhibit until March 29.
Ptarmigan Arts Back Room Gallery
471 E. Pioneer Ave.
The Aurora Collection, photography by Dave Parkhurst
5-7 p.m., First Friday Reception
Anchorage photographer Dave Parkhurst shows his aurora photographs. Parkhurst has been chasing auroras since 1980, spending thousands of hours capturing the rarest of images, including the elusvie red aurora. “The sun will do what it wants to do, when it wants to do it,” Parkhurst said. “The only exact science about the aurora is it’s not an exact science.”
