Events

Willa Cather Foundation Events

The Willa Cather Foundation holds a variety of events in Red Cloud annually, including several Opera House performances and gallery exhibitions, our Spring Conference, and the Prairie Writers' Workshop. A biennial International Cather Seminar and periodic symposia are also held in other locales that were relevant to Cather's life and work. 

The Willa Cather Foundation is a not-for-profit organization created in 1955 that owns and operates the National Willa Cather Center and the nation's largest collection of nationally-designated historic sites dedicated to an American author.

Author Series
Author Series
Opera House Events
Opera House Events
Art Gallery
Art Gallery
Rental Information
Rental Information

Beneath the Wide-Open

Art Gallery:
-
We welcome oil painter Jonathan Goodding to the Red Cloud Opera House gallery this spring! Goodding's paintings capture the energy and wonder of the ever-changing Great Plains sky. With vigorous marks and bold colors, native-Nebraskan Goodding recreates a dynamic and awesome horizon that is familiar to residents of the state.  We hope you will join us for a reception for the artist to be held on April 5, 2024. The exhibit and the reception are open to the public at no charge, as part of our mission to advance Willa Cather's legacy through education, preservation, and the arts.

Virtual Author Series: Chris Harding Thornton

Author Series:
- CT
Take a trip to 1930s Omaha and its fictionalized criminal past in Little Underworld, a new noir mystery from Nebraska novelist Chris Harding Thornton! Hear an excerpt from her book and learn more about how she drew from Omaha's early 20th century history to create this twisty tale. Funding was provided by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

Author Series and Book Signing: Gail Shaffer Blankenau

Author Series:
- CT
Observe National Nebraska Day by learning more about the complex history of the state's south central region. Author and historian Gail Shaffer Blankenau will join us for a talk and signing of her new book, Journey to Freedom: Uncovering the Grayson Sisters' Escape from Nebraska Territory, at the Red Cloud Opera House auditorium at 1:00 p.m. central time. Blankenau's book signing will be followed by opportunities to take a guided tour of historic sites related to Willa Cather, and an artist reception for oil painter Jonathan Goodding.    Funding was provided by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

One-Day Bus Tour to the National Willa Cather Center

Special Events:
CT
Join us for a day in Red Cloud, home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather! On this one-day bus trip, you will experience the “Divide” as described in O Pioneers!, tour the recently restored Willa Cather Childhood Home, and visit other settings from her acclaimed novel My Ántonia. $125 per person includes motor coach fare, lunch, guided tours, and refreshments.*

Marimba Sol de Chiapas

Opera House:
-
Get ready to take a musical tour through the regions of Mexico with Marimba Sol de Chiapas! These touring artists of the Mid-America Arts Alliance will be coming to our community to share their knowledge of the marimba, "the wood that sings" and will showcase their talent while four musicians play one instrument, together, at the same time!

Not Too Far Distant

Opera House:
-
Centered around Staff sergeant Clarence Williams' personal letters home, Not Too Far Distant honors the experience of the American soldier and reminds us that we all have the power – and the responsibility – to help create a brighter future.

Museum photo

Get Involved

Support Our Work

The Willa Cather Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the work, life, and legacy of this great American writer. Through our scholarly endeavors, educational outreach, arts and humanities programs, and preservation of historical settings and archives, we serve as a vibrant memorial to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.