You are here: Home > Things to Do > Arts and Culture > Galleries & Exhibitions
The Lake District, Cumbria, has provided inspiration for a whole host of artists throughout the years, so it may come as no surprise that we’ve got a rich arts and crafts scene across the area! Here, you’ll find a range of art galleries and exhibition spaces that host an ever-changing calendar of works in virtually every medium.
Discover pieces by local and nationally known artists at venues including independent galleries and studios, to museums and seasonal fairs. Some offer the chance to take a piece home with you, while others host regularly changing exhibitions as well as permanent art collections.
There’s even the opportunity to check out art in the great outdoors: there’s a sculpture trail at Grizedale Forest, for example, as well as open air exhibitions as part of festivals and events throughout the year.
If you fancy trying it for yourself, several galleries and studios also host workshops and classes. Often, you’ll be able to get inspired by the stunning natural surroundings of your venue as you learn a new skill or hone existing abilities.
As well as viewing some fantastic art pieces, here in Cumbria we also invite you to explore the studios and workshops where that work was made; and even meet the artists who create it.
Keep an eye out, too, for touring exhibitions to see something a little different while in the Lake District, Cumbria. Discover our galleries and exhibitions below.
Celebrate 25 years of ceramic art by Edinburgh-based Frances Priest in Motif | Line | Colour. The…
Created during her residency at Rosehill, Fragments of Belonging explores movement, migration,…
Head to the Great Barn at Sizergh to see an exhibition from a creative collective of artists,…
A contemporary art gallery 9 miles east of Carlisle. located close to Hadrian’s Wall, the Scottish…
A free Exhibition at the first floor of Windermere Library which tells the heritage of pioneering…
The Hive is a fully licensed events venue in a restored Wesleyan Chapel in Nenthead, offering pop…
Discover the work of acclaimed artist Julian Cooper at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Cumbria,…
Get Crafty! Drop in and join our team in the Visitor Centre for free craft activities. A great…
Discover life on Windermere through the lens of award-winning artist Juliet Klottrup. This…
Cumbria Local Arts Annual Exhibition. Over 500 pieces of work by 115 artist,all living within the…
Inside just got interesting. Step off the trail and into a space where the Lake District is…
Step inside the charming world of Tabitha Twitchit's second-hand bookshop in Hawkshead, where every…
This interactive exhibition celebrates the treasures of the Wordsworth Grasmere trove. Discover…
Shortlisted works from Farfield Mill's Textile Competition, chosen by judges Jan Beadle, Cas…
This temporary exhibition celebrates the work of local artist and civic leader John Dalzell…
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars,…
As winter gives way to spring, this exhibition celebrates renewal and transformation through the…
Grizedale Observatory and planetarium for stargazing under the dark skies of the Lake District.…
Discover two striking new collections of original artworks that celebrate the creative potential of…
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations…
My name is Naomi Louise Rae B.A.(Hons) PG Dip, M.Sc. and I have lived within the Lancaster and…
The EVAN Gallery and Studios is a genuinely artist led creative hub. EVAN was established in 2017…
Discover documentary photographer Joanne Coates's powerful exhibition about women in agriculture in…
If you’re visiting the Ambleside area why not pop into the Old Courthouse Gallery? We have a…


You may leave the Lake District, but once you’ve been, it’ll never leave you.

Number of results: 76
, currently showing 1 to 20.
Hawkshead
Grizedale Observatory and planetarium for stargazing under the dark skies of the Lake District. Nestled deep within the breathtaking Grizedale Forest in the heart of the Lake District, this immersive stargazing experience invites the whole family to…
Windermere
Windermere Jetty Museum is a vibrant, family-friendly visitor attraction dedicated to the boats, people and the rich history of Windermere, England’s largest natural lake.
Grasmere
This interactive exhibition celebrates the treasures of the Wordsworth Grasmere trove. Discover grand landscapes by Constable and Turner, a hasty sketch by Dorothy Wordsworth, dramatic watercolours and rarely displayed objects that spark wonder,…
Coniston
Meet Coniston's heroes, John Ruskin, artist, radical and seer and Donald Campbell, speed ace. View the fully restored Bluebird craft in the Bluebird wing of the museum. Discover the mineral wealth of the fells, all at 'the most thought provoking…
Whitehaven
Situated on Whitehaven's attractive harbour side, The Beacon is home to interactive science, games and history.
Barrow-in-Furness
We are proud to be working with our friends from Barrow Full to bring you our next temporary exhibition, "Made in Barrow" which will take you on a fascinating journey though Barrow made by local artists
Kendal
Abbot Hall is one of Britain’s preeminent small art galleries, set in a Grade I listed Georgian building on the banks of the River Kent in Kendal. The gallery holds an outstanding collection of 18th-21st century art and hosts exhibitions. The…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Shortlisted works from Farfield Mill's Textile Competition, chosen by judges Jan Beadle, Cas Holmes, and Marie Walin. Each piece interprets the theme "Metamorphosis," expressing transformation through textile form, colour, and process. Displayed in…
Hawkshead
Join in the fun this Easter Saturday
As part of our 'Wrestle' exhibition Grizedale is hosting a Cumberland & Westmorland wrestling competition, organised by the CWWA.
The event will begin with a short demonstration introducing the sport's…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Seven artists explore shared landscapes, material connections, and personal perspectives on land, memory, and transformation.
Common Land: Septenary Perspectives brings together seven artists united by a shared reverence for natural form,…
Kirkland, Kendal
This autumn, Abbot Hall presents Boat Works, a solo exhibition by Turner Prize-winner Simon Starling. Bringing together his major boat-themed projects, the show explores the vessel as a symbol of migration, transformation, and change.
Highlights…
Blackwell - the Arts & Crafts house, Bowness-on-Windermere
Celebrate 25 years of ceramic art by Edinburgh-based Frances Priest in Motif | Line | Colour.
The exhibition follows her evolution from monochrome pieces to vibrant, intricate designs, featuring her latest collection Unfixing, rarely seen archive…
Grasmere
Enjoy your perfect Lake District day out at Wordsworth Grasmere. Discover the home of William Wordsworth, one of England’s most famous poets. Step back 200 years and experience the sights, sounds and smells of family life at Dove Cottage.
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Stitched text works revealing the hidden textile origins of everyday phrases, language, and heritage.
Text & Textile! is an engaging exhibition by Connie Flynn that explores the unexpected connections between language, history, and the textile…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Nothing Lasts – Sue Dawes (15 April – 12 July 2026)
Nothing Lasts presents sculptural ceramics exploring the transience of human achievement. Working with hand-built stoneware crank clay and a low-firing copper glaze, Sue draws inspiration from…
W Strand, Whitehaven
Join us for a trip back in time and discover over 200 iconic objects and artworks that bring the Nineties to vivid life. This exhibition has been curated by collector and cultural commentator Matt Fox.
Revisit the days of Britpop and Cool…
The Promenade, Maryport
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars, inscriptions and sculptures from the adjacent Roman fort and civilian settlement.
Sedbergh
Farfield Mill is a Victorian woollen mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Home to artists’ studios, art exhibitions, heritage looms and tea room.
Grasmere
Discover two striking new collections of original artworks that celebrate the creative potential of modern printmaking. Women in Print draws inspiration from the life and legacy of Gwyneth Alban Davis, whose values of community, resilience, and…
Keswick
Discover the work of acclaimed artist Julian Cooper at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Cumbria, where landscape, light and place are explored through striking and thought-provoking artwork.
Set in the heart of the Lake District, this exhibition…
Receive all the latest news, special offers and information from the Lake District, Cumbria
Cumbria Tourism, Windermere Road, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PL