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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.
Are you a crafter or interested in crafts? Would you like to take part in our free wellbeing…
As Kay lives in Cumbria and Gillian lives in the Trossachs, textiles and walking are intertwined…
Sarah, based in Penrith, Cumbria, an ideal base to explore the Lakes, Cumbrian coastline, and the…
Heavyweights of the Cumbrian and International art world are joining together to take part in Rock…
Annie - A local artist who has worked in pastels, watercolours and acrylics for over 30 years. A…
The EVAN Gallery and Studios is a genuinely artist led creative hub. EVAN was established in 2017…
A playful environment filled with vibrant colours, ambient sounds and digital creatures, inspired…
An outdoor exhibition based on the award-winning book, Forty Farms by Lakeland Photographer of the…
Meet talking rocks, find sunken trinkets and explore quarry portals at Signal Film and Media's next…
What is a space? Where are the spaces? Who fills the spaces and why? Nolitex have been exploring…
Uncovering the story of a British artist and his influence on 20th century art during the inter-war…
Now in its 12th year, the biennial New Light Prize Exhibition is an open art competition which…
An exhibition of striking photographs exploring the complexities of gender and identity. The…
This new display delves into the Townend archive collection, a treasure trove of four hundred years…
Introducing an ambitious new project, Epona-The Wild Pony of the North, this display showcases the…
A contemporary art gallery 9 miles east of Carlisle. located close to Hadrian’s Wall, the Scottish…
Sublime Symmetry is an exhibition featuring 60 pots, tiles and vases from the De Morgan Collection,…
Inspired by the wild and beautiful Northern Fells and a shared history of drawing from life, local…
Lakeland Arts' much-loved art collection includes paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture ranging…
Occupying three floors within an historic building this bright and welcoming gallery showcases the…
Roman museum displaying the internationally significant collection of Romano-British altars,…
Eskdale Mill is a unique experience, nestled in one of the Lake District's most beautiful locations…
You may leave the Lake District, but once you’ve been, it’ll never leave you.
Number of results: 66
, currently showing 21 to 40.
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.
Ulverston
The Laurel and Hardy Museum celebrates the life and career of Stan Laurel, born in Ulverston.
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…
Kendal
Russell Mills, himself a graduate and former lecturer at the Royal College of Art, will explore an extraordinary period in the history of both Ambleside and the Royal College of Art, when two disparate communities – one, essentially conservative,…
Penrith
An unrivalled range of 1,2 and 3 day courses in the Arts, Crafts, Heritage skills, Baking, Textiles, Raku pottery, Wood /Stone carving, Willow & Wire, Ceramics, Glass, Silver and much much more.
Sedbergh
What is a space?
Where are the spaces?
Who fills the spaces and why?
Nolitex have been exploring these issues and invites viewers to consider the spaces they fill.
NOLITEX, (Notts. Lincs. Textile Artists) is a group of artists which promotes textile…
Brampton
An art exhibition by a local father-and-son artist pair, exploring both local landmarks in a new light, and challenging the imagination with stimulating new themes.
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
7 reviewsGrasmere
With its beautiful, dramatic scenery and rich history it is easy to understand why people are drawn to the Lake District. The tourist industry has not always resembled what it is now, in fact William and Dorothy Wordsworth witnessed a dramatic…
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
968 reviewsKendal
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…
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178 reviewsHawkshead
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!
Carlisle
Discover 900 years of history and explore the tumultuous life of Carlisle Castle and its characters, in a new exhibition.
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.
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880 reviewsSedbergh
Contemporary Quilt Group is a specialist group within the Quilters' Guild. Its members are a diverse collection of quilters and textile artists, working at the cutting edge of our practice, creating innovative and dynamic art. Their mission is to…
East of Lake, Coniston
Come to an exhibition of radical and innovative textiles; from homewares to art and fashion from Blue Patch, the UK's Sustainable Business Community.
Pull My Thread captures the creative spirit of the new green economy. Displays include new bio…
Sedbergh
know her textile art, but also, she still designs and creates jewellery, likewise clothes, restores furniture, photographs, draws, and paints, even on walls. She is a very versatile artist.
Her academic training was in Russia, since she is of…
Brampton
Sarah, based in Penrith, Cumbria, an ideal base to explore the Lakes, Cumbrian coastline, and the Eden Valley which so inspires her work.
Sarah is fascinated by the ever-changing light upon the landscape and our place within it.
Brampton
Experience the edge of empire at the award winning Roman Army Museum. There is nowhere else like it on Hadrian's Wall.
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1066 reviewsKendal
Uncovering the story of a British artist and his influence on 20th century art during the inter-war period. For the first time in over 50 years, a selection of Gilbert Spencer’s major paintings will be exhibited alongside examples of preparatory…
Tripadvisor Traveller Rating
178 reviewsSedbergh
As Kay lives in Cumbria and Gillian lives in the Trossachs, textiles and walking are intertwined within their lives. The steady rhythm of walking is echoed by the rhythm of stitch. The building up of layers with material and stitch and the…
Sedbergh
Linocut and Wood engraving relief prints inspired by the Cumbrian Landscape
As a printmaker using linocut and wood engraving, I create relief prints here at the Mill in my studio on level 2. From my sketches of the landscape of Cumbria I am inspired…
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