American Bittersweet: The Life & Writing of Willa Cather

Your visit to the National Willa Cather Center isn't complete without taking time to browse our permanent exhibit, American Bittersweet: The Life and Writing of Willa Cather. This engaging exhibit invites you to explore the life and legacy of Willa Cather through informative narratives that are interwoven with priceless historical photographs and artifacts. The exhibit’s name, taken from the American bittersweet vine that grows outside Cather’s childhood home in Red Cloud, Nebraska, explores and embraces the complexities of Cather’s life and art—domesticity and worldliness; home and travel; happiness and sadness; the bitter and the sweet. 

The exhibit honors the work and memory of one of America’s great writers. Through it, the generosity, honesty and beauty of Cather’s work will continue to inspire you and thousands of other visitors each year. The exhibit was produced in 2017 thanks to a Learning Experiences grant of $111,479 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.