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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.
This exhibition brings together two emerging portrait painters. Lela Harris gives depth and…
Grizedale Observatory and planetarium for stargazing under the dark skies of the Lake District.…
Conceived by the British painter Daniel Sturgis, On the Thick and Thin of Painting explores the…
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars,…
Inside just got interesting. Step off the trail and into a space where the Lake District is…
Textile artworks inspired by the Cumbrian landscape, blending felting techniques with recycled,…
To celebrate 125 years of Blackwell, Lakeland Arts will be showcasing a major exhibition of works…
Venture into the fateful night that inspired one of the world's greatest gothic tales: Mary…
If you’re visiting the Ambleside area why not pop into the Old Courthouse Gallery? We have a…
Innovative contemporary quilts exploring pathways, journeys, and connections through cutting-edge…
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations…
Every Wednesday, 11am - 2pm: Finds handling Get hands-on with history. Visitors can get hands-on…
Join us for a powerful multi-media exhibition exploring stories of fragility and survival, told…
Step inside the charming world of Tabitha Twitchit's second-hand bookshop in Hawkshead, where every…
Discover documentary photographer Joanne Coates's powerful exhibition about women in agriculture in…
An anniversary exhibition celebrating British wool, craftsmanship, collaboration, and twenty-five…
The Paper Quilt Project is a living exhibition in which a community art piece is created while on…
Discover the creatures that came before the T.REX. Step back to the Carboniferous period, 100…
Great exhibitions, activities, gift shop and café in a glorious park setting amongst the mountains.…
A contemporary art gallery 9 miles east of Carlisle. located close to Hadrian’s Wall, the Scottish…
Head to the Great Barn at Sizergh to see an exhibition from a creative collective of artists,…
A solo exhibition of pastel paintings by Sarah Reid. This solo exhibition brings together a…
Heritage open weekend with free entry to venues and activities 19th and 20th Sept in Appleby in…
Painted explorations of Dales vernacular buildings, archaeology, and the passage of time through…


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

Number of results: 65
, currently showing 1 to 20.
W Strand, Whitehaven
Discover the creatures that came before the T.REX.
Step back to the Carboniferous period, 100 million years before the dinosaurs. Visit tropical forests and swamps teeming with bizarre and ferocious ancient monsters, some of which had larger teeth…
Hawkshead, Ambleside
Situated in the quaint Lake District Village of Hawkshead, the boys Grammar School gives insight into school life ever since it opened in 1585. William Wordsworth also attended the school from age 9 to 17 with his brothers.
Maryport
A solo exhibition of pastel paintings by Sarah Reid.
This solo exhibition brings together a collection of pastel paintings inspired by the ever-changing beauty of the Cumbrian coastline. Working with the rich, luminous qualities of pastel, Sarah…
Penrith
Celebrating the beauty, behaviour, symbolism and diversity of birds through the work of 57 UK artists. Featuring ceramics, painting, print, photography, sculpture and textiles, alongside original children's book illustrations and a spectacular mural…
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…
Hawkshead
Come and discover all that Grizedale has to offer – take in Lake District landscapes, experience a whole range of contemporary art and enjoy an adventure, no matter your age!
Nr. Penrith
Brougham Hall is a 14th Century Fortified ruin home to a variety of working craft units, a cafe, both a gin distillery and a brandy distillery.
Sedbergh
Farfield Mill is a Victorian woollen mill in the Yorkshire Dales. Home to artists’ studios, art exhibitions, heritage looms and tea room.
Penrith
Rheged is a gallery, café, cinema, shopping venue, workplace and creative space on the edge of the Northern Lakes.
Nr Kendal
Discover documentary photographer Joanne Coates's powerful exhibition about women in agriculture in Holeslack barn, on Sizergh's estate.
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…
Bowness-on-Windermere
Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house is a rare architectural gem in the heart of the Lake District and offers a perfectly preserved snapshot of early 20th-century living.
Blackwell - the Arts & Crafts house, Bowness-on-Windermere
To celebrate 125 years of Blackwell, Lakeland Arts will be showcasing a major exhibition of works by its architect, the Arts & Crafts designer Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott (1865-1945).
This exhibition brings together significant works by Baillie…
Grasmere
Art gallery and art shop run by the Heaton Cooper family, selling original paintings and prints from 4 generations of the family.
Brampton
Experience the edge of empire at the award winning Roman Army Museum. There is nowhere else like it on Hadrian's Wall.
Blackwell - the Arts & Crafts house, Bowness-on-Windermere
Useful/Beautiful marks 25 years of contemporary craft at Blackwell – the Arts & Crafts house, celebrating the makers, ideas and objects that have shaped our collection since opening our doors to the public in 2001.
Set throughout the house, the…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
An anniversary exhibition celebrating British wool, craftsmanship, collaboration, and twenty-five years of creative practice.
Celebrating 25 Years of The Wool Clip marks a significant milestone for the artist-led co-operative founded in 2001 with a…
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Textile artworks inspired by the Cumbrian landscape, blending felting techniques with recycled, sustainable materials.
Textile Fusion presents a new body of work by textile artist Dianne Standen, inspired by the rich textures, colours, and forms of…
Boroughgate, Appleby
Heritage open weekend with free entry to venues and activities 19th and 20th Sept in Appleby in Westmorland
Garsdale Rd, Sedbergh
Innovative contemporary quilts exploring pathways, journeys, and connections through cutting-edge textile practice.
Pathways presents a dynamic exhibition by Contemporary Quilt, a Special Interest Group of The Quilters' Guild, whose members…
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