PRATT MUSEUM

established in 1968

The Pratt Museum Hosts “World on Fire” by American Artist Geoffrey C. Smith

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Homer, Alaska (September 3, 2025)

New Special Exhibition in Homer at the Pratt Museum: “World on Fire”, Featuring Oil Paintings and Driftwood Sculpture by American Artist Geoffrey C. Smith 

The Pratt Museum’s final special exhibition of the year will open in the Main Gallery on October 3, 2025 and be on display through January 3, 2026. A First Friday opening reception will be held at the Museum on Friday, October 3, 2025 from 4 – 6pm.

In World on Fire, American artist Geoffrey C. Smith brings viewers face-to-face with the wild heart of Alaska and the profound transformations it now endures. Painted over the course of three summers spent in the state’s most remote and majestic landscapes, this exhibition captures both the awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska’s wildlife and the subtle, sometimes startling signs of a world in flux.

Using a palette knife and bold, expressive strokes, Smith renders creatures like moose, polar bears, ravens, and brown bears with emotional intensity. Some of the works in the series are almost dreamlike: animals suspended in flame-colored fields, their forms emerging from abstract heat and color. Others are grounded in traditional realism: brown bears fishing for salmon, salmon threading their way upstream, and bull moose standing alert in the quiet boreal light. These moments speak not just to climate change, but to the deep, enduring beauty that still exists in our natural world.

It’s this tension between reverence and urgency, realism and abstraction that gives World on Fire its power. While the title conjures an image of devastation, the show itself is far more layered. It is not a parade of catastrophe, but an act of bearing witness. The wild is still alive. The animals still move with grace and dignity. And the land, though changing, continues to inspire.

Smith, known for his large-scale bronze monuments and nationally recognized wildlife sculptures, approaches painting with the same sense of scale, presence, and emotional resonance. His background as a sculptor brings weight and structure to the compositions, while his painter’s hand channels immediacy and energy. These paintings are not imagined; instead, built from time spent tracking animals in the field, observing migrations, watching ice melt, and listening to silence.

World on Fire speaks to institutions that recognize the transformative power of art to explore environmental change, cultural identity, and our relationship with place. It is a show that invites thoughtful dialogue between science and emotion, tradition and innovation, beauty and urgency. Rooted in firsthand observation and artistic mastery, the exhibition offers not only a striking visual experience but also a meaningful platform for public engagement. It appeals to museums and cultural foundations that seek to illuminate the challenges of our time while honoring the landscapes, species, and stories that define them. Through this work, art becomes a bridge connecting people to the natural world and to one another.

Ultimately, World on Fire is both an elegy and a celebration. A call to see more clearly, feel more deeply, and protect more fiercely.

 

About Geoffrey C. Smith Geoffrey has been characterized as a representational artist, although stylistically he may be viewed as a naturalist. Geoffrey’s very large works and his signature artistic style can be deemed “loose,” wherein the subjects of his work are represented by basic elements such as fingerprints suggesting feathers or fur.  He mixes fine wax and oil paint, then uses a palette knife to sculpt the painting and giving his work a distinctive deeply dimensional feeling displaying large strokes and layers of texture.  Geoffrey is a Conservationist and lover of nature. Much of his time, talent, and treasure goes toward supporting charities that foster his ideals. More information is available at https://www.geoffreycsmith.com/. 

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to explore and preserve the culture, science, and art of the Kachemak Bay region. The Museum is open daily from 11am – 4pm every Tuesday – Saturday September 2, 2025 through May 23, 2026 and 10am-6pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at http://www.prattmuseum.org/.

Contact Whitney Harness, Co-Executive Director, tel (907) 435-3333, email wharness@prattmuseum.org

Download PDF of this Press Release, HERE.

Pratt Museum Announces Museums for All, a Program for Under-Served Families

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Pratt Museum Announces Access Program for Low-Income Families
Museums for All to increase accessibility of high-quality museum learning resources

Homer, Alaska (August 25, 2025)

Today the Pratt Museum announced that it has joined Museums for All, a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum-going habits. The program supports those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits visiting the Pratt Museum for a minimal fee of $5 per person, up to four people, with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Similar free and reduced admission is available to eligible members of the public at more than 850 museums across the country. Museums for All is part of the Pratt Museum’s broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences.

Museums for All helps expand access to museums and also raise public awareness about how museums in the U.S. are reaching their entire communities. More than 850 institutions participate in the initiative, including art museums, children’s museums, science centers, botanical gardens, zoos, history museums, and more. Participating museums are located nationwide, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums worldwide. With more than 460 members in 50 states and 16 countries, ACM leverages the collective knowledge of children’s museums through convening, sharing, and dissemination. Learn more at www.childrensmuseums.org.

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to explore and preserve the culture, science, and art of the Kachemak Bay region. The Museum is open daily from 11am – 4pm every Tuesday – Saturday September 2, 2025 through May 23, 2026 and 10am-6pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at http://www.prattmuseum.org/.

Contact Whitney Harness, Co-Executive Director, tel (907) 435-3333, email wharness@prattmuseum.org

Download a PDF of this Press Release, HERE.

“Connected” by Sharlene Cline to Show at the Pratt Museum in Homer

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Homer, Alaska (May 23, 2025)

The Pratt Museum will host Special Exhibition “Connected”, an Immersive Exploration of Our Shared Humanity by Artist Sharlene Cline 

The Pratt Museum’s summer special exhibition will open in the Main Gallery on May 23, 2025 and be on display through September 26, 2025. A First Friday opening reception will be held at the Museum on Friday, June 6, 2025 from 4:30 – 6:30pm.

Connected is an immersive exploration of our shared humanity, delving into themes of genetic memory, ancestral connection, epigenetics, and our interconnectedness. Each month events will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, as follows:

June 6 | Opening Exhibition 4:30 – 6:30pm, Live Dance beginning at 5:30pm

July 11 | Live Performance 5:30 – 7pm, Featuring songs written and performed by singer/songwriter Jenny Baker

August 1 | First Friday 4:30 – 6:30pm – Collage Activity lead by artist Sharlene Cline

September 11 | Intergenerational Trauma & Healing, Panel Discussion beginning at 5pm

September 13 | The Creel, a One Act Play by Kate Rich, directed by Jennifer Norton beginning at 5:30pm

September 20 | Paluwik Dance Performance, 5pm – CANCELLED

 

About Sharlene Cline Working across Chinese brushwork, collage, acrylics, and installation art, Cline creates work that explores the intricate connections between humanity, nature, and personal identity. Her formal training began with three years of intensive study in Taiwan under internationally renowned master Yang O-Shi, before moving to Homer, Alaska in 1994. More information is available at https://sharlenecline.com/home.html

 

About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to explore and preserve the culture, science, and art of the Kachemak Bay region. The Museum is open daily from 10am-6pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day and Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-4pm the rest of the year. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at http://www.prattmuseum.org/.

Contact Whitney Harness, Co-Executive Director, tel (907) 435-3333, email wharness@prattmuseum.org

Download a PDF of this Press Release, HERE.

Pratt Museum Receives Support for Collections Accessibility Project Through a Grant-In-Aid from the Alaska State Museum

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Homer, Alaska (February 7, 2025)
The Pratt Museum, which is governed by The Homer Society of Natural History, Inc., is the recipient of a $11,729.30 Grant-In-Aid from the Alaska State Museum for their “Improving Accessibility: Pratt Museum Collections Go Online” project
The Pratt Museum is embarking on an exciting new project, “Improving Accessibility: Pratt Museum Collections Go Online”, thanks to the generous support of a Grant-In-Aid from the Alaska State Museum. This project aims to make the Museum’s holdings more accessible and inclusive by bringing collections to a wider audience through efficient means.
“We’re so grateful to the Alaska State Museum for their generous funding through the Grant-In-Aid program. Moving our collections online will allow for greater accessibility for our community, for researchers, for students, and for those who are simply curious to see what we have,” said Pratt Museum Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, Liv Wisnewski. “These collections are held in the public trust, and it’s so exciting to be able to increase access for those we serve.”
The project involves upgrading the Museum’s desktop collections management software to an online edition, and will provide professional development opportunities for a Museum Studies Graduate Student in an internship capacity. Memphis Despain, who attends the California State University, Long Beach and is in the final semester of their Art History M.A. program was chosen for the internship and arrived in Homer in early February.
“My professor was the one who sent me the opportunity, noting that I met the qualifications. I wanted to be here because the Pratt is a museum that is making an effort to serve its community. A museum as a cultural institution makes a promise to not only collect and preserve its collection, but to educate and offer it back to the public it serves,” said Despain. “The Pratt Museum is making an effort to be more accessible and I admire that; this is an exciting project and I’m glad I can be a part of it!”
About the Alaska State Museum Established in 1900 when an Act of Congress created the Historical Library and Museum for the District of Alaska, the Alaska State Museum seeks to identify, collect, care for, and exhibit Alaska’s material culture and natural history and provide public access to services and collections of the Museum. More information is available at https://museums.alaska.gov/asm/asmhome.html
About the Pratt Museum The mission of the Pratt Museum is to explore and preserve the culture, science, and art of the Kachemak Bay Region. The Museum is open daily from 10am-6pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day and Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-4pm the rest of the year. Visit the Pratt Museum at 3779 Bartlett Street in Homer. Tel (907) 235-8635. More information is available at http://www.prattmuseum.org/.
Contact Whitney Harness, Visitor Services, Store and Communications Manager, tel (907) 435-3328, email wharness@prattmuseum.org
Download a printable PDF of this press release, here.