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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.
Discover 200 years of Rock Climbing history, from the earliest scrambles to the modern sport we…
Discover documentary photographer Joanne Coates's powerful exhibition about women in agriculture in…
We are very pleased to bring you a new exhibition to the Dock Museum, "What the sea decides to give…
The Paper Quilt Project is a living exhibition in which a community art piece is created while on…
"Our personal encounters within Morecambe Bay." This exhibition brings together the creative voices…
Celebrating the beauty, behaviour, symbolism and diversity of birds through the work of 57 UK…
Our galleries take on a unique atmosphere as the world slows down. Whether you're looking to…
Venture into the fateful night that inspired one of the world's greatest gothic tales: Mary…
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations…
Connie Flynn's Text & Textile! explores everyday sayings rooted in the textile trade. Using…
Reactor, by Felicity Hammond, is a new multimedia installation exploring the possibilities of the…
Useful/Beautiful marks 25 years of contemporary craft at Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house,…
Inside just got interesting. Step off the trail and into a space where the Lake District is…
Discover the creatures that came before the T.REX. Step back to the Carboniferous period, 100…
This exhibition brings together two emerging portrait painters. Lela Harris gives depth and…
REACTOR is a new multimedia installation by Felicity Hammond, launching on Thursday 28th May at 6pm…
Every Wednesday, 11am - 2pm: Finds handling Get hands-on with history. Visitors can get hands-on…
Step inside the charming world of Tabitha Twitchit's second-hand bookshop in Hawkshead, where every…
Conceived by the British painter Daniel Sturgis, On the Thick and Thin of Painting explores the…
Great exhibitions, activities, gift shop and café in a glorious park setting amongst the mountains.…
If you’re visiting the Ambleside area why not pop into the Old Courthouse Gallery? We have a…
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars,…
A contemporary art gallery 9 miles east of Carlisle. located close to Hadrian’s Wall, the Scottish…
Join us for a powerful multi-media exhibition exploring stories of fragility and survival, told…


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

Number of results: 76
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The Promenade, Maryport
Every Wednesday, 11am - 2pm: Finds handling
Get hands-on with history. Visitors can get hands-on with real and replica objects, lead by one of our team of volunteers. Included in museum admission.
Bowness-on-Windermere
A magical indoor attraction that brings to life all 23 Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit tales. Meet all your favourite characters and find out more about Beatrix Potter herself.
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Painted explorations of Dales vernacular buildings, archaeology, and the passage of time through landscape.
Tumbling Stones, Wiggly Tin is an exhibition by Hilary Grisewood that explores and celebrates the vernacular architecture of the Yorkshire…
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,…
Hawkshead, Ambleside
Mark Hatton, a researcher and enthusiast of local mining history will be joining us to explore the heritage of Coniston Coppermines: the story of the discovery of rich veins of copper at Coniston & the men, women & children who worked them over the…
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…
Kendal
Kendal Museum is one of the oldest museums in the UK, founded in 1796 by William Todhunter. The Museum has a long history in Kendal Town and has occupied various sites but has been at its current location (previously a wool warehouse) since 1913.
Brampton
A contemporary art gallery 9 miles east of Carlisle. located close to Hadrian’s Wall, the Scottish Borders, Eden Valley, and English Lake District, so it should be no surprise that we have a wealth of artistic talent to call upon.
Ambleside
If you’re visiting the Ambleside area why not pop into the Old Courthouse Gallery? We have a fantastic collection of art & crafts by some amazing artists, many of them local to the area.
Whitehaven
Imagine leaving the heart of Whitehaven's historic port and being taken back in time to an exotic tropical island's rainforest in the Caribbean, that is just the start of your great adventure in The Rum Story.
Penrith
Rheged is a gallery, café, cinema, shopping venue, workplace and creative space on the edge of the Northern Lakes.
Barrow-in-Furness
Reactor, by Felicity Hammond, is a new multimedia installation exploring the possibilities of the autonomous submarine. This exhibition marks a new collaboration with Hammond, following her 2017 Signal commission In Defence of Industry, which won…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Seven perspectives, bound by a mutual reverence for natural form, fragility, and transformation.
As artists, we see Common Land not only as a reflection on the physical terrain, but as an exploration of the emotional and ancestral ground we all, in…
Hawkshead, Ambleside
This talk will be led by Lucy Saint-Smith, a library & museum professional who has worked for the Quakers in the UK for the past 8 years. She is currently the Collections Officer at Swarthmoor Hall, Ulveston, the 17th century home of Margaret Fell &…
Whitehaven
Situated on Whitehaven's attractive harbour side, The Beacon is home to interactive science, games and history.
Sedbergh
Farfield Mill is a Victorian woollen mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Home to artists’ studios, art exhibitions, heritage looms and tea room.
Nr Kendal
Discover documentary photographer Joanne Coates's powerful exhibition about women in agriculture in Holeslack barn, on Sizergh's estate.
W Strand, Whitehaven
Before we say goodbye to I Grew Up 90s exhibition (on 21 June), we wanted to celebrate the decade a little close to home - with a special event dedicated to what like was really like in Whitehaven, and the surrounding areas during the 1990s.
Step…
Boot, Holmrook
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations. This charming site embodies the Lake District’s heritage. It is the last remaining working water-powered corn mill in the Lake District.
Keswick
Inside just got interesting.
Step off the trail and into a space where the Lake District is reimagined. Sound, story and digital exploration blend into a hands-on experience that's full of life, built for curious minds and restless feet of all ages…
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