Plate Project

Bunnell’s annual membership drive welcomes $250+ members for early plate selection, one week prior to the opening. View this year’s Plate Project in the gallery in-person and online at https://www.bunnellarts.org/plate-project/2023-plate-project-gallery/.

Plate project artists and members are invited to join us at Bunnell Street Arts Center for tea and cookies throughout the day on Friday, May 26 for the 29th Annual Plate Project opening. Choose your commemorative art plate when you donate $125+ to support the mission and programs of Bunnell. From 5-7pm that evening, Board and Staff will host refreshments to celebrate plate project painters & potters and members like you.  The reception also includes live music by Tyler Munns, hand-on art making with Carly Garay and upcoming 2023 program highlights presented by Bunnell staff.

A special thanks to our local business community who supports the mission and programs of Bunnell Street Arts Center: Homer Art and Frame, Homer Electric Association, Uncle Herb’s, Homer Real Estate, KBBI AM890, Loopy Lupine, Mako’s Water Taxi, Mountain Spirit Works, Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware, Two Sisters Bakery and Vamoose Alaska Vacation Rentals.

Every year dozens of Alaskan artists create unique art plates for Bunnell’s Plate Project. The bisqued plates are blank “canvases” for brilliant food-safe underglazes. The finished painted plates are then competitively selected by new and renewing members when they make a donation at a $125+ or higher, each year. Members look forward to collecting annual plates that commemorate their support for Bunnell Street Arts Center.

The plate project would not be possible without the time and talent of Homer potters who transform hundreds of pounds of clay into about 100 plates each year. The painters are artists, community members and Bunnell supporters. With all materials provided, painters use the hand built plates in collaboration to create a plate design.  If you’d like to get involved for the first time, staff and volunteers will gladly offer you tips and techniques to create a successful plate.

The cornerstone of Bunnell’s membership, the Plate Project was created and sponsored for 25 years by potter, Ahna Iredale. Local potter Jeff Szarzi now fires the painted plates in his Homer studio. Paint an Art Plate and contribute to the well of creativity that nourishes this community.

We hope you’ll participate this year, and every year.

Note: This is not a project designed for children independently, although families are invited to help their child paint a plate assuming parents will select their child’s plate to commemorate their own family’s $125 membership. Call us with questions 907- 235 – 2662