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
The galleries are between exhibitions right now. Scroll down to see what's coming up next.
UPCOMING
John Page Print
John Page Print
PERMANENT COLLECTION: MIDWEST
December 18, 2025-March 15, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 18 from 5:30-700 p.m. Food, beverage, and musical performance by our Education Assistant, Liudmila Lebedeva
This selection of works features the physical and social landscape of the Midwest. Etchings made for a handmade book by a class of John Page’s students will be shown for the first time. Works commissioned for the 2006 exhibition Field & Verse will be shown alongside the James Hearst poetry that inspired them. These sculptures made by Thaddeus Erdahl, Rich Robertson, Brad Travis, and Margaret Whiting and the paintings made by Angela Battle and Frje Echeverria were acquired for the permanent collection as part of that project
FIRES: PAINTINGS BY SAW NAING LIN
January 6–March 8, 2026
Public Reception: Saturday, January 17 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Through the vivid lens of memory, Fires traces the life and displacement of Burmese painter Saw Naing Lin, from tranquil childhood moments tending water buffalo in the countryside to the harrowing experiences of hiding in forest caves as his village was overtaken by violence.
Comprising approximately twenty narrative paintings, each accompanied by a descriptive text, the exhibition reads as a visual memoir. Lin’s use of bright, stylized forms and expressive color belies the gravity of his subject matter, transforming scenes of human-rights trauma into poignant acts of witness and remembrance. Stay tuned for programming updates associated with this exhibition, coming soon.
NATURE QUEST JOURNALING
March 28-May 10, 2026
The Cedar Falls Public Library and the Hearst Center are excited to exhibit the final projects from Community Nature Quest, a year-long program designed to foster creative engagement with our natural surroundings. The quest began May 2025 and runs through May 2026. This free, community-centered initiative encouraged participants to explore local nature through expert-led lectures and open art studio sessions dedicated to an ongoing nature art journal project. The journals on view reflect each individual’s journey through the quest. Displayed in a variety of mediums, each artwork is unique, creative, and tailored.
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Made possible with our partners at the Cedar Falls Public Library, Cedar Falls Community Foundation, and the Kathryn Ray Fund for use by the Library.
Cedar Falls Student Art Exhibition 2026
April 11-May 10, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 11 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
See what the kids are up to in this annual student art exhibition! The Hearst Center's tradition of celebrating students and teachers continues this spring with an exhibition of work created in the art rooms of Cedar Falls Community Schools. Pottery, painting, and works on paper abound!
Online l Hearst Permanent Collection
John Page
View original etchings as part of the Hearst Permeant Collection.
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Gary 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.
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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.