Roy Behrens on Iowa Poet James Hearst

Hearst Talk Poster © Roy R. Behrens 2014

The James Hearst Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Lecture Series will conclude at 7 pm, Thursday, October 23, 2014, when author, teacher and graphic designer Roy Behrens addresses the audience in Mae Latta Hall at the Hearst Center, 304 West Seerley Boulevard, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Behrens’s illustrated talk, titled “Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads in Them: Learning from Iowa Poet Jim Hearst,” will be followed by a reception. The event is free and open to the public.

Roy R. Behrens is a Professor of Art and Distinguished Scholar at the University of Northern Iowa. He holds an undergraduate degree in art from the University of Northern Iowa and a graduate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught at art schools and universities for more than 40 years. Since 1990 he has been at the University of Northern Iowa, where he teaches graphic design and design history.

In addition, Behrens has written seven books and hundreds of essays and articles on design-related subjects, most notably books and articles on art and camouflage, for which he is internationally known. He has appeared in interviews on National Public Radio, NOVA on PBS, Iowa Public Television, BBC Radio, Australian Public Radio, and has appeared in a number of documentary films. As a UNI student in the late 1960s, as well as a faculty member in the early 1970s, Behrens knew Hearst as a writer and friend.

Since April 2014, the James Hearst Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Lecture Series has featured a variety of lectures and multimedia presentations focusing on James Hearst and his body of work. They have been presented by a distinguished group of writer-educators that also includes Jonathan Stull, Scott Cawelti, Loree Rackstraw, Barbara Lounsberry, George Day, Michael Borich, and Jeremy Schraffenberger.

Farmer-poet James Hearst bequeathed his home to the city of Cedar Falls in 1983 and asked that it be used as an arts center for the community. The Hearst Center’s 25th anniversary celebration is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cedar Falls, the Cedar Falls Art & Culture Board and 93.5 The Mix.