Amazing Collections Found Only at the WCA
The Waterloo Center for the Arts' Permanent Collection Was Established in 1962
The Permanent Collection was started in 1962 with the gift of a Marvin Cone painting “I Have Loved the Unloved” from the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Junior League.

Marvin Cone
I Have Loved the Unloved
Enjoy Viewing the Collection in its Exciting and Developing Directions!
This collection reflects the diversity of Midwest art. Various artists represented in this collection include Lela Powers Briggs, Byron Burford, Steve Gerberich, Richard Hunt, Mr. Imagination, Preston Jackson, Nancy Josephson, Gary Kelley, Corita Kent, Mauricio Lasansky, Paco Rosic, Nina de Creeft Ward, Derek Webster and Ulfert Wilke to name but a few.
American Regionalist masters includes Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton and contemporary working artists of the heartland.
Featuring unique works of art in a wide variety of media including clay, metal, glass and fiber, this collection was established in the 1970’s through generous contributions by Mrs. Helen Sulentic. The collection continues to grow and selected works are on display on an ongoing basis. Visit the Center to see works by Rose Cabat, Warren Mackenzie, Gertrude & Otto Natzler, Mark Shapiro, Paul Soldner, and many others.
A varied collection of works of public art are onsite at the Center and in the surrounding areas. Works range from murals and mosaics to monumental sculpture.
From African masks to Indian textiles, the Center is the perfect place to find stunning examples of works by some of the finest folk artists around the globe. The Center is particularly known for its outstanding collections of Haitian and Mexican Folk Art with masks, alebrijes, ceramics, toys, textiles, flower art, papier mache, basketry, tin art, and beadwork: color, texture and pattern abound in this dynamic collection of art from throughout Mexico. The collection has also expanded to represent works from Caribbean cultures as well with sizeable collections of works by Amos Ferguson, Canute Caliste, Rev. Mervin Thompson and others. You can always find a selection of works from this collection on view in the Center’s Reuling-Feldman Gallery.
The Center maintains the largest public collection of Haitian art in the world featuring a vast array of colorful paintings, powerful metal sculpture and glittering beaded and sequined banners. The collection, which was initially founded in 1977 with gifts from Dr. & Mrs. F. Harold Reuling, has grown to become a veritable “who’s who” of Haitian art: from Hector Hyppolite, Philome Obin and Georges Liautaud to Edouard Duval-Carrie and the artists of the Grand Rue.