Homer Council on the Arts had a visiting artist, Hawkeye Herman, for almost three weeks in February, offering the Blues in the Schools Program to students in Homer, Nanwalek, Port Graham and Seldovia. It was a full 15 days of assemblies, classes and performances. 

Every artist HCOA brings to Homer is very grateful for the warmth and generosity extended from our community. I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to the hospitality extended to Mr. Hawkeye. Thank you to all the welcoming teachers, principals, staff and students in all 11 schools. Thank you to the faculty for meals across the bay: Glen Fraser, Kara Schreur and Eric Knudston in Nanwalek, and Amy Ware, Tim Alzheimer and Josh Tone in Port Graham. In Seldovia, Mr. Hawkeye was treated with bed and breakfast accommodations with Tobben and Tania Spurkland. At the last minute, lodging plans in Homer changed, and with unhesitating generosity, Adrienne Sweeney from the Driftwood Inn, generously donated nine nights of lodging in her first class accommodations. 

Thank you to the Seldovia Arts Council for presenting Mr. Hawkeye to the Seldovia community; and Bunnell Street Arts Center, whose own artists-in-residence, the West African musicians and dancers Soriba and Shelley Fofana, shared their talents during Mr.Hawkeye’s public performance at HCOA, and during the HCOA Marimba Madness fundraiser. 

In addition to the generosity of our community, the program was made possible with generous funding from Jack and Debbie Oudiz, Boss Hoggz, The Homer Foundation, Charlotte Martin Foundation, ConocoPhillips, Rasmuson Foundation and Alaska State Council on the Arts.

In our community, which extends throughout the lower Kenai Peninsula and to villages across Kachemak Bay, extraordinary opportunities abound for people of all ages to experience and participate in the arts. This is possible because people work together across organizations to make it happen. 

Gail Edgerly, executive director

Homer Council on the Arts