Willa Cather Foundation Events

The exhibition, organized by the Historic Costume and Textile Museum of Kansas State University, provides a nostalgic view into American ingenuity, sensibility, and optimism during a particularly challenging time of economic hardship and war—the period of the Great Depression and World War II. The reuse of feed, flour, and sugar sacks was a cost-saving and resource-saving approach employed by homemakers to make new items to meet their families’ needs.

Join us for what is bound to be a great night of country hits like "Check Yes or No" and "Amarillo By Morning!" Rick Cook and Strait Country bring to life the familiar sounds of the undeniable "King of County Music" George Strait.

The Red Cloud Opera House is proud to welcome Kearney artist Daniel Garringer to our gallery in March! Garringer's acrylic paintings capture the fleeting details of a rural life on a large scale: towels snapping on the line, the sunken face of a jack-o-lantern in November, the active decay of old paint. This exhibit encourages the viewer to reflect on the beauty and ephemeral nature of the ordinary.

“The end is nothing, the road is all.” – Willa Cather, Old Mrs. Harris

Prepare for spring with author Jim Locklear! Jim will join us to talk about his book, In the Country of the Kaw, a personal account of the natural and cultural wonders of the watershed of the Kaw (Kansas) River, which arises on the High Plains of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska and joins the Missouri River in Kansas City.

We are honored and delighted to welcome acclaimed writer Karen Russell to the Red Cloud Opera House to discuss her new novel, The Antidote. Russell will sign copies of her book in the National Willa Cather Center bookstore immediately following her talk. You won't want to miss this free and in-person event!

Come out to support Red Cloud's own Wade Maudlin and his band Tastydactyl! In their first performance at the Red Cloud Opera House Tastydactyl will treat the crowd to hits from the 90's and early 2000s.

This summer, the Red Cloud Opera House is excited to welcome artists Steven Tamayo, Paul High Horse, and Anne Steinhoff as they present We're Still Here: American Indian Spirit in the Unmade Place. These Native American artists have brought together a number of cultural touchstones and mediums as they respond to our Spring Conference theme, "Cather's House: Examining Built and Natural Environments in Her Work."

Mark your calendars for the 70th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference!

We hope you will make plans to attend the 19th Willa Cather International Seminar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as we celebrate the 100th publication anniversary of The Professor's House!