PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

“Universal Connections: Experiences Bringing Us Together”

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The Pratt Museum and Park is hosting an exhibit in collaboration with the World Arts Festival in Homer, AK. The exhibit is opening September 2 at our First Friday in the downstairs gallery where admission will be free. The exhibit is entitled Universal Connections: Bringing Us Together and is a mix of photographs from around the world curated by Sarah Borgen. ​It is a collaborative exhibit showcasing artwork from local artists.

More on the theme of Universal Connections

Throughout our lives, we get caught in a whirlwind of concerns, thoughts, and anxieties only to briefly pierce the interpersonal veil and see ourselves in the eyes of others. These insights can define our lives by how we sense interconnectivity with all people and each person’s unique experiences of life. 

“Universal Connections: Experiences Bringing Us Together” is a collaborative photo exhibit of moments where we see ourselves in each other, a shared encounter of being human.

An example of what the exhibit will showcase…

To have Tea is To Share Tea – Jeffrey Eide, Sri Lanka 2009

Saman spotted me in the market in Haputale, Sri Lanka. Labeling me as a friend and insisting I join him for a cup of tea. “To have tea is to share tea” It was more than a catchy slogan, Saman lived this value. His eyes blinked slowly like a comfortable cat and his voice calm with wisdom. I felt  a profound sense of connection to someone who I would never see again. He sometimes speaks to me in dreams. This is the effect we have on each other, his presence has reminded me.

A Mother’s Gratitude – Jeffrey Eid Sri Lanka 2009

“What is your mother’s name?” My local friend had informed me she asked. We met at the store while I was trying out local snacks. Her name eludes me today. With a series of brief exchanges, I asked her about her children, and could see a sense of disconnection, of loss. When I asked her if I could take her picture, she agreed, on condition that I sent it to my mother and expressed my love.

PFD Charitable Giving with Pick.Click.Give.

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We just wanted to say thank you to those who have given to the Pratt Museum through there PFD. If you’d like to give a portion of your PFD to the Pratt it’s not too late to do it.

As long as you have applied for your PFD online by March 31, additions, withdrawals, or adjustments may be made until August 31. This includes donations to eligible charities such as the Pratt.

Directions on how to give-

Go to https://pfd.alaska.gov/ and select the green “Add or Change Your Pick.Click.Give. Donation” button.

You will be prompted to enter your name, social security number, and date of birth. Once you click “Enter,” your PFD application details will show your PCG charitable contributions to date and provide a button to “change” your contributions. Follow the prompts to add new donations.

Alaska Beauty Peony Co-Op

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You may think of peony farming as a newer crop here in Alaska, but you may be surprised to realize it’s really just a continuation of early Homer homesteading. Many Homer farmers who established themselves in the 1940s and 50s have now begun growing peonies. Homer’s unique agricultural history has helped develop peony cultivation in the area, leading to Homer being known as ‘the City of Peonies’. Over the next couple of weeks we will share the stories of local Homer farmers as part of the 3rd Annual Peony Celebration. So, follow us on social media to follow our Peony Celebration coverage.

The Pratt Museum has teamed up with Alaska Beauty Peony Co-Op to tell these stories.  To start our collaboration we interviewed Allison with Willow Drive Gardens. As board chair and member of Alaska Beauty Peony Co-Op she was able to share some of the history of peony farming in Alaska and share with us how the local co-op is progressing. 

Why are co-ops so necessary for small farms? The co-op provides the necessary marketing and distribution that  its members need. All of the members of the co-op are small boutique farms focused on quality, it would not be sustainable for each farm to do everything themselves. Having a co-op provides necessary infrastructure, allowing members to focus on growing and harvesting their beautiful peonies! 

Alaska Beauty Peony Co-Op is currently in its 10th year of operation. As the oldest co-op of peony growers in the state of Alaska they have formed partnerships with the Homer area beekeepers association and have even received funding for food security to help fund co-op infrastructure projects. According to  Allison, Alaska peony farms are not going to reach the size and scale of the industrial farms of the Netherlands as their country has invested heavily in the mechanical infrastructure required for such large scale production. Our local Homer peony farms tend their fields by hand and use wheelbarrows to move the blooms, you won’t see tractor trailers with conveyor belts going into the fields.

The Alaska Beauty Co-Op particularly focuses on sustainability and reducing environmental impact. For instance, Allison does not use any harsh chemicals or toxic pesticides on her farm; instead utilizing lower impact substances like baking soda and potassium bicarbonate to inhibit mold growth and neem oil to inhibit thrips.

In addition to environmental sustainability, the co-op also focuses on economic sustainability. Helping their farmers stay involved and up to date by answering questions like: How does the co-op continue to succeed within the industry? What scale do they need to reach? What markets make the most sense? They aim to help their farmers by branching out and facilitating new ideas like making bath salts from imperfect blooms to reduce waste and increase profits.

Alaska Beauty Peony Co-Op is a huge part of our community here in Homer. If you are interested in supporting the co-op go to their website at https://alaskabeautypeony.com/collections/in-state. Check out our upcoming videos on Instagram and Facebook @prattmuseum to learn more.

Protection: Adaptation & Resistance

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The exhibit is open from June 11 to September 24, 2022

“In times of pandemic, climate crisis, and ongoing assaults on human rights, how are Indigenous Alaska artists today strengthening self and community, and guiding the next generation from surviving to thriving?  Protection: Adaptation and Resistance centers Indigenous ways of knowing. Working within intergenerational learning groups and as collaborators in vibrant community networks, Alaska’s Indigenous artists are invigorating traditional stories and proposing resilient new futures through design, tattoo, regalia, and graphic arts. Thirty artist projects presented in this exhibition elevate collaboration, allyship, and community as tools of resistance, adaptation, and cultural affirmation.”   Asia Freeman, Curator

The Moveable Feast

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Opening May 6th from 4 – 6 PM 

Welcome to Kachemak Bay’s moveable feast that attracts migrating birds to stop over as they make their annual journeys along flyways that stretch from wintering areas along the Pacific Rim northward to Western, Interior, and Arctic Alaska.

May 6th will be the opening of a month-long special Shorebird Festival exhibit “A Moveable Feast” at the Pratt Museum and Park that celebrates Kachemak Bay as a place for migrating birds to rest and refuel. From 4 pm-6 pm, get a closer look at birds from the museum’s natural history collection and bird art at this free First Friday reception. There will be supplies on hand to make drawings and then your work will be added to this exhibit!  Posters and information will be available about local bird research and citizen science opportunities. You can also tour the Museum to view other local birds on display as well as go birding on the Pratt Museum and Park trails. Museum hours during the Festival will be Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM – 4 PM and the Park trails are always open.

It’s a place to rest and refuel, replenishing the fat stores required for migration and breeding. Although many migrants feed on what is available year-round like mussel beds in the intertidal zone, the migration of others is made possible by the massive bloom of plankton in the ocean and the growth of nutritious aquatic plant shoots as day length increases in the spring. Seaducks and seabirds feed on the abundant zooplankton and on small fish that are fattening up on the bounty. The pulse of migrating
birds also provides a spring feast for bald eagles, other raptors, and owls. The twice-daily tidal cycles in Kachemak Bay provide a smaller-scale moveable feast on tidal flats and
rocky beaches that are covered and uncovered, altering access to marine invertebrates and aquatic plants at the water’s edge or in shallow waters. Shorebirds probe the mud-filled with burrowing worms and clams. Ducks follow the rising tide, dabbling, and diving. Waterbirds, like loons, grebes, sea ducks, and seabirds, are superbly adapted for diving deeper after plankton, mollusks, and small fish.

As the birds move through the air and watery places, they’re a resplendent feast for our human eyes. As we pay attention to and mind the birds, we can feast on the intricate and dynamic ecological connections they make manifest.

The exhibit also showcases artwork by the late George West, a long-time Board member of the Pratt Museum, and the featured Shorebird Festival Artist
on its 25th anniversary in 2017. His pioneering work monitoring shorebird use of Homer area habitats is also featured in one of the posters about the continuation of this work as a Kachemak Bay Birders citizen science project.

Painting at the End of The Ice Age

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An Art & Science exhibit by David Rosenthal. Open now through May.  Artwork is available for sale.

THE paintings in this exhibit can be appreciated individually as works of art. As a whole, they stand as evidence of the unfolding tragedy of global warming. Through interpretive
panels, Rosenthal ties together his fine art with the science that plays a role in its creation and contributes to his understanding of the landscape.

David Rosenthal, of Cordova, studied physics and ended up as an artist. He has traveled widely with the U.S. Coast Guard Art Program; the U.S. Antarctic Artist and Writer Program; the Alaska State Artist Program; and as a science tech and contractor. His art is informed by experiences at the Arctic Polar Ocean and ice cap; Greenland and its ice cap; the
Northwest passage; and in Antarctica.

Native Ways in Changing Times: Photography Exhibit by Lisa Williams

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Native Ways In Changing Times is the accumulation of photographs taken over a 5-year span from 2005 to 2010 in the villages of Nanwalek and Port Graham Alaska. The Exxon oil spill occurred in 1989 but the social-cultural ripple effect is felt to this day. The work shown here is an attempt at examining the tightly held traditions and values of the Native people of these two villages and their resiliency with which they responded to the impact the Exxon spill had on their way of life. These 35 images and quotes were selected from over 1500 photographs and 50 pages of transcribed interviews. This project was funded in part by the Alaska Humanities Forum.

Photo of Peter Anahanok Sr.

Meet Lisa Williams. Lisa Williams is an award-winning photographer whose images are featured in the book, “Our Changing Seas”. She received her MFA in Social Documentation from Sonoma State University in Sonoma, California. Born in San Diego, California, Lisa has spent the last 30 years hiking the mountains, making friends, and exploring Alaska. She is a two-time grant recipient from the Alaska Humanities Forum and values the opportunity this has given her to learn about and document Alaskan Native Cultures. Lisa’s passion is visual anthropology and hopes her photographs compel deeper respect and appreciation for the cultural values of Native Alaskans. Her work has been shown in museums and cultural centers throughout Alaska and she looks forward to more photographic adventures. She now resides in Chico, CA where she teaches American Sign Language and goes on walkabouts with her two wire-haired pointing Griffons; Sunny and Alma.

Rafael de la Uz: Homer’s Nutcracker

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Rafael de la Uz is a photographer and filmmaker, with more than twenty years of experience in the profession. Born in Cuba, Rafael began his work behind the cameras in his hometown, Havana, where he worked as a press and advertising photographer as well as a Cinematographer on various documentary films. In 2001 Rafael moved to the United States, and since then he has worked on projects for HBO, PBS, NYT, Discovery, TVE, and the BBC. His latest photographic work is a small portrait of the community of set netters in South Naknek, Bristol Bay, which was published by Fern magazine last fall.

Exhibit Description: Homer`s Nutcracker is a photographic exhibit that tells the story of Homer’s town staging The Nutcracker, in the midst of a pandemic. The intention of this exhibit is to show the level of effort, work, and dedication that the community invests in this ballet work. There is nothing unique about a small town that each year hosts a big event, it happens all over the country, and it is usually done with the intention of attracting tourists, however, at Homer, The Nutcracker it is a gift from the children, parents, and volunteers for the local inhabitants, who every year, for the last 33 years, come to the local theater to enjoy this ballet.

The young dancers, choreographers, and technicians do not disappoint their audiences. The child dancers may not be technically perfect, but they show up every day to give everything they have to the choreographers. The production may not have the budgets of professional theater, but that does not prevent that with typical Alaskan ingenuity a balcony gets built in an hour and that the decorations are hand-painted and spectacular. There might be a lighting error during the play, but the teens in charge of the work behind the curtains run like crazy to ensure each prop is ready when needed. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, Homer’s children rehearse with masks, maintain a discipline of soldiers to measure their temperature and work to provide their community with several nights of joy and beauty. As the curtain drops and everyone takes their bow, the tiny town of Homer gives them a great applause every night, an applause full of pride and gratitude. In the end, The Nutcracker is everyone’s work.

That spirit is what Rafael’s camera captured. In this exhibit, he documents the efforts of the dancers, parents, staff, and volunteers – their success, their mistakes, their work. This is their story.

Lives Well Lived: Celebrating the Secrets, Wit and Wisdom of Age

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Sky Bergman is an accomplished, award-winning filmmaker and photographer.

Her fine artwork is included in permanent collections at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Her commercial work has appeared on book covers for Random House and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc., and magazine spreads in Smithsonian, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, Reader’s Digest, and Archaeology Odyssey.

A Professor Emeritus of Photography and Video at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, Sky currently has two short films about intergenerational connections currently on the film festival circuit and is working on a feature-length film that is a celebration of love.

Come explore this photography exhibit beginning in February.

What is a life well lived?
40 People.
Age 75-100.
3000 years of collective life experience answer that question.

Homer Drawdown Peatland Project

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Homer Drawdown: Peatland Project is a community-wide collaboration to protect and restore peatlands. Peatlands are special wetlands that store a lot of carbon and play critical roles in our local ecosystems, cultures, and economies.

The Pratt Museum & Park is delighted to collaborate with Homer Drawdown and Bunnell Street Arts Center to present art programs that elevate the importance of peatlands for planetary sustainability. Art for Peat includes a residency, an exhibit, and a mural opportunity. ‍

Art for Peat Artist in Residence 2021: Artist in Residence Sheryl Maree Reily will spend two weeks in mid-June and mid-September exploring, documenting, and interpreting peatlands in the Homer area through photographic research and documentation, interviews, and community engagement. More information about Sheryl’s residency. ‍

Art for Peat at the Pratt Museum & Park is an exhibition for art highlighting the importance of Art for Peat. The exhibition will be from September 10th until October 10th  in the museum’s lower level. The show includes a new installation by Sheryl Maree Reily and an exhibition opportunity for additional arts on the surrounding walls.  Artwork may be of variable dimensions and media, wall-mounted, projected, performed, etc. Call for proposals coming soon!

For more information:
https://www.bunnellarts.org/call-for-proposals-art-for-peat/
https://www.homerdrawdown.info/art-for-peat