Exhibitions
With over three hundred works by local and regional artists, the Hearst Center Permanent Collection provides a fascinating perspective on Iowa, the Midwest and the nation.
For more information on exhibitions and the permanent collection, email
Curator/Registrar, Emily Drennan.
To propose exhibition or a gift to the permanent collection, view our Hearst proposal guidelines.
CURRENT
During the annual harvest in May and June, villages and towns across the Rose Valley celebrate centuries-old traditions established and practiced to this day in the nearby fields and villages. Here, dancers perform in a field on the outskirts of Kazanluk, where the largest festival is held.
Just out of earshot from the festivities, the idyllic picture of youth and dance give way to the reality of laborious effort. In the early morning hours, a rose picker has filled another sack and hurries it to the nearest weigh station. Time is of the essence. By 10 a.m., the sun will dry up the flowers' moisture, thus robbing them of their precious attar.
On aptly named Rose Street in Morozovo, friends knit and chat on a warm summer afternoon, well after the rose fields have emptied of workers for the day.
During the annual harvest in May and June, villages and towns across the Rose Valley celebrate centuries-old traditions established and practiced to this day in the nearby fields and villages. Here, dancers perform in a field on the outskirts of Kazanluk, where the largest festival is held.
TALES OF THE BULGARIAN ROSE: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF BULGARIA
JANUARY 31–MARCH 26, 2023
Public reception: Thursday, February 2 from 5:00–6:30 p.m.
In 1997, journalists Rick Truax and Anelia Dimitrova travelled to Bulgaria to chronicle its transition to democracy. The Berlin Wall had fallen eight years prior and like many other Eastern European countries Bulgaria was stumbling along an uncertain path from a state-run economy to a free-market one. Looking to show the impact these seismic political shifts had on real people, the authors went into the very heart of the country at the foot of the Balkan Mountains—the valley of the roses.
This series of photojournalistic images documents Bulgaria’s centuries-old rose industry amid the hopes, dreams and uncertainties that lined the road to democracy that summer of ’97. The prints in this show document the exhausting efforts of pickers in the fields, workers in the distilleries, everyday life in nearby villages, contrasted with the dancers and performers taking part in the annual festival celebrating the rich history, culture and folklore of the Bulgarian rose.
UPCOMING
Mariah Benson, Self Portrait, Colored pencil, 7th grade, Holmes Junior High, Teacher: Baily Klammer
Mariah Benson, Self Portrait, Colored pencil, 7th grade, Holmes Junior High, Teacher: Baily Klammer
Cedar Falls Student Art Exhibition 2023
APRIL 15–MAY 21, 2023
Opening reception: Sunday, April 16 from 1:00–4:00 p.m. Sponsored by Friends of the Hearst
The Hearst Center's tradition of celebrating students and teachers continues this spring with an exhibition of work created in the art rooms of community schools.
First Fifty 2021 Opening Reception in the galleries
First Fifty outside the Hearst Center of local artists waiting to enter the galleries
First Fifty 2021 Opening Reception in the galleries
FIRST FIFTY 2023: PATTERNS
JUNE 15-AUGUST 6, 2023
Drop off date: Thursday, May 25 at 9:00 p.m.
The First Fifty exhibition is back at the Hearst Center this summer for its tenth year with a new theme—PATTERNS! Patterns can be literal or representative of characteristics and traits between people, objects, adventures, etc expressed in everyday life. Artists are encouraged to embrace the theme in creating a work of art to submit.
No medium is off limits—paintings, ceramics, mixed media, textiles, photography, mosaics, and more have been featured over this event’s history. The work submitted must be your own and ready to hang. This requires a suitable hanging system attached to the work, such as D-rings with wires between.
What to do to prepare: Come early, bring a chair to sit in for the lineup and wear weather ready attire–mother nature is full of surprises. Participants are not allowed to enter the Hearst Center for any reason on drop off day before the doors open.
How to participate: The first fifty works of art to arrive on Thursday, May 25 at 9:00 a.m. are included. All are welcome to participate in this beloved and community supported experience.
For additional questions and rules, email Curator/Registrar Emily Drennan.
Online l Hearst Permanent Collection
John Page
View original etchings as part of the Hearst Permeant Collection.
Garry Kelley l Sleepy Hollow
View the original pastels in the Hearst Permanent Collection as part of the 1990 novel, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Original Book Illustrations by Gary Kelley.
Exhibition James Hearst Interpreting The Farmstead l The Hearst Legacy Site
View original works of art selected from the Hearst Permanent Collection, as part of this grant funded project.