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
Image of artist in his exhibition
Detail of woodcut
Printed image on paper of a woodcut arc
Image of artist in his exhibition
Eye Wood: Works by William Close
September 10-December 6, 2026
Public Reception: Thursday, September 17 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Mark your calendars for an artist talk on Thursday, November 5 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Cedar Falls knows William Close for thinking big, from a 22-foot mountain bike to a fullscale cruise ship, his legendary Peet Junior High mega sculptures defined community spectacle for over two decades. Eye Wood invites you to see where that same ingenuity lives now: in intricate, intimate woodworks that carry Close’s lifelong obsession with detail, craft, and the “fool the eye” tradition into a new scale. This fall, rediscover an artist whose work shaped a generation, and is still evolving.​
Art & books
Printed image of artwork on postcard
Art & books
Iowa Interiors: Original Book Illustrations by Claudia McGehee
September 10-December 6, 2026
Public Reception: Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 p. m.
Related Programing: Thursday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m. : Red Herring Theatre presents Mother Bailey; September 12 at 1:00 p.m.: Claudia McGehee will speak at the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association Conference
In 1926, Cedar Falls author Ruth Suckow published Iowa Interiors, the short story collection that established her national reputation. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of this publication, a centennial edition of the book, co-edited by Julie Husband and Jim O'Loughlin, will be released this fall by Final Thursday Press. This edition will feature commissioned illustrations by Iowa-based artist Claudia McGehee. The exhibit will highlight McGehee's original work for the collection and celebrate a century of Iowa Interiors. ​​​
UPCOMING
Sleepy Hollow logo drawing by Gary Kelley
The official Sleepy Hollow logo
Graveyard pastel drawing
Sleepy Hollow logo drawing by Gary Kelley
​THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW: ORIGINAL BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS BY GARY KELLEY
October 1-31, 2026
Visit the Hearst Center this Halloween season to view Gary Kelley’s pastel illustrations created in 1990 for Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published in 1820. A community favorite, a community tradition. Each work in the series was sponsored by a Friend of the Hearst to help build our permanent collection in the 1990s.​
CLASSROOM LEVEL GALLERY
Hearst Supervisor, Cory, hanging artwork
Gallery view of artwork by Cynthia Demkiw
Gallery view of Critters by Ann Olsson
Hearst Supervisor, Cory, hanging artwork
CLASSROOM LEVE GALLERY AT THE HEARST CENTER
Rotating exhibitions every two months
September: Artwork by Janet Drake
October-November: Artwork by Paula Schrad
December-January: Artwork by Deanna Graas
Online l Hearst Permanent Collection
Original work by John Page
Logo by Gary Kelley
Detail of work by Angela Battle
Original work by John Page
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.