The Permanent Galleries

The Dedrick Native American Gallery

The Dedrick Native American Gallery exhibits art and artifacts representing the Native peoples of the Americas including the pre-contact Andean cultures of Peru, Mesoamerican cultures including the Maya, and an impressive collection of Native North American art with woven baskets from the Shasta and Pomo of the Northwest Coast, as well as pottery and Kachina dolls from the Hopi and Zuni of the Southwest.

The Near and Far East Gallery

This gallery provides visitors with a dynamic, contextual presentation of the art and culture from the Eastern parts of the world.  The exhibitions emphasize six themes within the geographical regions from Egypt, to the Far East, including India, China, Japan and Indonesia.  Of these themes, Elements of Writing traces the history of writing systems through the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. Elements of Architecture compares building methods, forms and functions. Burial Practices features Ancient Egyptian artifacts relating to mummification and entombment. Philosophy and Religion offers insight into Buddhism and Hinduism through objects of art that represent Gods, Goddesses, Teachers and other figures from eastern philosophy. The Arts of China showcases the FAM permanent collection of the fine art traditions of China and Textile Traditions is a rotating exhibit of the many different themes seen within the production and use of textiles in the East. Many of the exhibits in the gallery are designed to rotate during the year, allowing for a new experience for visitors each time they come to see the museum. 

The African and Oceanic Gallery

Located on the second floor, this gallery features the traditional cultures of West Africa, Madagascar, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Among the highlights in this permanent gallery is a ceremonial "spirit canoe" from the Asmat people of Papua New Guinea, bark paintings from Aboriginal groups from Australia and carved wooden granary doors originating from Africa. 

The Rawleigh European Gallery

This gallery features paintings, prints and sculpture dating from the 15th to the early 20th Centuries from European countries including Italy, Germany, and England. The FAM boasts a large collection of Pietra Dura (a “hard stone” inlay technique) from Florence. 

The Cathy Hiveley Student Gallery

The FAM is dedicated to showing the work of the next generation of artists in the student gallery. Regional art teachers showcase their students’ talents in a professional gallery setting for 3-4 weeks.

If you are a teacher or organizational leader interested in showcasing your students' work, please contact the Education Coordinator at education@freeportartmuseum.org or (815) 235-9755.

“A painting needs to offer more than just a description of what something looks like-- it needs to offer the artists passion”   ~Cathy Hiveley

Cathy Hiveley (1943 - 2003) was a Freeport native, artist and teacher at Aquin Catholic Schools. She studied Studio Art at Rockford College and received a BFA in 1991. She executed the majority of her work during the 1990's and began exhibiting in many local and regional venues. Her work has been featured several times as the Freeport Arts Center. In 1993 she exhibited work as part of the Women in Art exhibition, in 1995 her work was included in the Portrait show, and in 2006 she had her own exhibition, Cathy Hiveley: A Retrospective. 

An endowment for educational programming has been established by the Hiveley family at the Freeport Art Museum in Cathy’s name and the student gallery has been renamed the Cathy Hiveley Student gallery in honor of her time teaching art at Aquin Junior and Senior High School.