Through the month of April, Homer Council on the Arts shines a light on local youth and their participation in the arts. Currently in the HCOA gallery is a display of visual arts and, this weekend, youth take to the stage for an evening of performing arts.

This celebration of young artists is HCOA’s annual Jubilee extravaganza, which is intended to highlight and encourage Homer’s talented youth.

“HCOA’s mission is to make arts accessible for everyone in the community and to highlight the Homer arts scene,” said Jenna Gerrety, HCOA’s marketing manager. “The youth is the future of this art’s scene and encouraging them and keeping them involved in the artistic community enriches our social fabric.”

The Jubilee visual arts exhibit opened on First Friday, April 4 and showcases 91 pieces of work created by 79 artists ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old, kindergarten to grade 12. On display are a variety of mediums, including paintings, collage, cardboard sculpture, pen and ink drawings, pencil drawings, a 3D sculpture and a comic.

Every year in early February, HCOA reaches out to teachers, parents and other community members, seeking participation from children attending Homer’s various schools as well as home-schoolers. Most of the work shown comes in great part, according to Gerrety, due to the support of local teachers.

“Having artwork displayed in a gallery is an excellent experience for youth of all ages who want to participate in the community and have pride in their work,” Gerrety said. “It’s also a great experience to be able to include on a scholarship application or a resume, whether students want to pursue an artistic career or not, as it shows passion, dedication and creativity.”

Sixteen-year-old Rachel Munoz attends Homer High School. Her paper collage piece, “Observing,” is on display and was created during a recent art class where the assignment was to create a surreal collage with a theme. In her colorful, cartoonish collage, Munoz has layered images of grassy hills and trees in the lower area, people and cityscapes in the middle section and in the upper area, blue sky and clouds. On top of these areas and scattered across the collage are stars, raindrops, and flowers, and on top of these, tiny eyes. Two larger images look out from the collage, a large eye with wings and a moon with a face.

“The theme is about observing life, about noticing the beautiful and small things in life and that life all together is a beautiful piece of art,” Munoz said. “It’s a message about beauty and life in general. As you go through life, you have to realize that it’s better to stop and enjoy the beauty and enjoy and observe a bit more. This observing is what makes life better.”

Munoz sees creativity as an important means of self-expression.

“Through art you can express yourself in ways that you may not be able to verbally,” she said. “It’s a way to put your thoughts on paper and have other people try to grasp a bit of what’s going on in your head. Art also encourages you to look at the inner things in life and have a more artistic view of life. You see art in music, in movies and in everyday life. I think art makes you a better person.”

Munoz credits, among others, her art teacher Olivia Philpot for inspiring her to try new mediums, like collage.

“Art classes open my eyes to train my art skills, to improve, have fun and do new things,” she said. “Ms. Philpot is fun and helpful and knows how to give advice to help you understand. She says that if you want to improve on something, you’ll try your hardest.”

Though her first time showing her work publicly, Munoz has been drawing and painting for years. She aspires to combine her passion for creating art with a passion for advocating for mental health.

“Maybe I can do art therapy with kids or be a tattoo artist who advocates for mental health,” she said.

Also participating in the Jubilee visual arts exhibit is 9-year-old Indie Frost. In the third grade at Homer Elementary, he has three drawings on display.

In his Sharpie drawing, “Spring Has Sprung”, Frost has drawn a toadstool mushroom with roots going deep into the earth and surrounded by grass, with a starry sky in the background.

“When I was drawing this I was thinking about how cool mushrooms are and how I’m excited for spring,” he said.

Another drawing, “Hot Diggity Dog” is a pencil drawing that depicts a character named Sans from the game, Undertale. In this drawing, Frost shows the character wearing shorts, shoes, a T-shirt and a jacket and is depicted through three separate poses — standing with his hands in his pockets, peeking out from the edge of the frame and walking with a hotdog in one hand and a bottle of ketchup in the other.

“I just think Sans is a really neat character and I like drawing him,” Frost said. “In the game, he eats hotdogs, so I drew him eating hotdogs.”

Using whatever materials he has around him, pen, pencil, Sharpie, paper, Frost draws in his bedroom and in his sketchbook, which he often takes with him on adventures outdoors. There, he might draw what he sees around him. Most often though, he draws from his imagination and sometimes, from his dreams.

“I get ideas from dreams to make up different characters or I just think about them from my mind,” he said. “I don’t make up stories, I just draw.”

Frost shared that he is inspired by his mother Megan and his father Max, both who like to paint.

“Drawing is very fun,” he said. “I’m always drawing and I think I’ll always be drawing.”

In addition to celebrating youth efforts in the visual arts, HCOA is showcasing youth talent in the performing arts. The Jubilee Youth Performing Arts show, which HCOA had not hosted for a few years, is now back and taking place this weekend.

“This event provides an opportunity for youth passionate in drama, music and performance to perform in front of an audience,” Gerrety said. “It’s another way for us to invest in the youth of our community and showcase all the things they can do.”

Featured on stage this year will be youth between the ages of 6 and 18 years old, performing instrumentalists, ensembles, dance, piano, vocals, drumming and more.

The show is being co-directed by Jim Anderson and Britny Bradshaw who both view providing opportunities for youth to participate in the arts as not just a fun endeavor, but essential to the kids and to the community.

“I grew up in Homer and benefited from the many community and school events that provided performance opportunities over the years,” Anderson said. “Homer has always been supportive of its youth in all developmental areas, including the arts. I’m excited for the community to see the results of all of the talented youth who are participating this year and the many incredibly talented and supportive adults who work with these youth and inspire them to develop their talents and pursue their dreams. It’s going to be an amazing show with a nice variety of talent.”

Bradshaw shares this passion for nurturing the potential of local youth.

“Our goal is to ignite a spark within each young individual, inspiring them to strive for greatness and become the best versions of themselves,” she said. “Jubilee serves as a showcase for our budding performers, giving them a chance to experience the thrill of being on stage, feeling the spotlight on their faces and holding a microphone in their hands. These moments help build their confidence and allow them to perfect their craft and it is through these opportunities that they can develop their skills, build self-assurance, and continue to flourish. My hope is to not only fill the seats at Jubilee, but to demonstrate the immense talent and potential our youth possess. By shining a light on their abilities, we aim to create even more opportunities for them to shine and grow.”

Proceeds from this show support the Ron Senungetuk Youth Fine Arts Scholarship Fund for young artists. Formerly known as the Summer Scholarship program, it was renamed to honor Senungetuk who passed away in 2020, for his support of the arts, including starting the Native arts program at University of Alaska Fairbanks and being a role model for local youth.

Jubilee’s youth visual arts exhibit can be viewed at HCOA through the end of April. The performing arts event takes place Friday, April 19, 7 p.m. at the Mariner Theatre. Tickets are $10 youth, $20 general and are available online at homerart.org, in person at HCOA from 1-5 p.m. and at the door.

Freya Bartlett, 13, practices a song on the piano, which she will perform in Homer Council on the Arts’ upcoming Youth Performing Arts production, on Monday, April 15, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting

Rachel Munoz, 16, poses with her mixed-media collage titled “Observing,” on display at Homer Council on the Arts in their annual Jubilee arts exhibit, on Saturday, April 13, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting

Naia White-Hopton poses with her cardboard creation, “Rabbit,” on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting

“Hanging Gardens of Babylon” is a 3D cardboard sculpture by third- and fourth-graders Sabriel Davidson and Sibylle Sethi on display at Homer Council on the Arts through April. Photo provided by Homer Council on the Arts

Art by local Homer youth participating in Homer Council on the Arts’ annual Jubilee youth art exhibit is on display through April. Photo provided by Homer Council on the Arts