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
Dahl-Thomas Gallery & Dresser-Robinson Gallery are under installation. Scroll down for upcoming exhibitions.
UPCOMING
Eye Wood: Works by William Close
September 11-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.
Iowa Interiors: Original Book Illustrations by Claudia McGehee
September 10-December 6, 2026
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.
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
CLASSROOM LEVE GALLERY AT THE HEARST CENTER
Rotating exhibitions every two months
August/September: Artwork by Janet Drake
October-November: Artwork by Paula Schrad
December-January: Artwork by Deanna Graas
Online l Hearst Permanent Collection
John Page
View original etchings as part of the Hearst Permeant Collection.
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.
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.