Eastern Iowa Arts Academy

Heather Wagner is originally from Cedar Rapids where she attended Washington High School before studying journalism at the University of Missouri. Never having taken an art class before, she opted to try drawing as an elective her sophomore year. Little did she know that that elective would soon change her life. She fell in love with studio arts and never looked back. Heather transferred to Iowa State where, in 1990, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design.

After college, Heather worked as an artist in advertising for several years in Houston, Texas and Salina, Kansas. She soon branched out on her own as a freelance artist and designer, starting her own business, Paper Moon Originals.

In 2000, Heather moved back to Cedar Rapids and was a commissioner for seven years serving Cedar Rapids and the Visual Arts Commission. During that time she began painting murals for several businesses in town including schools, churches and the African American Museum. Currently she is a member of the Visual Arts Master Plan Steering Committee for the City and she has had a studio in the Cherry Building for over fifteen years where she enjoys her personal art time and an occasional commission piece, called Heather Wagner Designs. Heather joined the EIAA in 2014 as a teacher and became the Music and Arts Studios Director in 2015 and Director of Operations in 2019. She continues to teach classes to students of all ages including autistic children and mentally handicapped adults.