The Brilliance of Birds
Open daily till 4 Oct
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 by Cumbrian artist David Cemmick depicting birds visiting Cumbria through the four seasons.
Enjoy family art-led activities throughout the exhibition.
£3 | Children 16 and under go free
You may also like:
Four and Twenty Blackbirds | How to Create a Bird-Friendly Garden with Nic Wilson
25 Sep | 7pm
This entertaining, illustrated talk explores the amazing lives of 12 garden bird species (one for each month of the year) and considers how we can help support and protect them in our gardens.
Upcoming & Past Exhibitions
Libby Edmondson’s Pop-Up Print Shop
Now open near our Gallery, visit our pop-up print shop dedicated to the vibrant work of Libby Edmondson with over 20 prints to choose from as well as a range of her Hare and Cheetah Sculptures.
All the artwork is available to take away on the day of your visit. You simply fill in the order form and take it the Gallery Desk where the team will be delighted to help.
Open daily 10am-5pm
Community Gallery
Coming next:
A Thousand Words: A Vittorio Sella Photography Exhibition
11 Sept – 18 Oct | Free to see
In 1899, on the slopes of Kangchenjunga (Nepal Himalaya), pioneering Italian mountaineer and photographer Vittorio Sella took the first image of a distant Chomolungma: Mount Everest. 126 years later, a small team from the UK set off with a large format analogue camera to find that forgotten spot and recreate that iconic image.
This exhibition celebrates Sella’s work and his enduring legacy as one of the godfathers of mountain landscape imagery.
Alongside Sella’s photographs there are both modern large-format and digital images taken by the team – Matt Sharman and Matt Hardy – that set out to attempt to recreate that iconic first picture of the highest mountain on Earth.
Vittorio Sella’s lifelong mission was to combine all his passions – mountaineering, chemistry, invention, photography – and return from the high mountains with evidence of their power and beauty and to share his wonder with the world.
While this Exhibition is at Rheged, we will be doing some screenings of the documentary feature film which accompanies it. Look out for ‘A Thousand Words’ on the cinema section of the Rheged website.
Celebrate the launch of the exhibition with…
Kangchenjunga & Everest | Film & Exhibition Evening with Q&A
Leading Cumbria outdoor filmmakers come together to screen two films: The Five Treasures of the Snows, telling the story of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga in 1955, and In A Thousand Words, which follows filmmakers Dom Bush and Matt Sharman journey in search of the exact spot the first photographic images of Everest were taken in 1899, this part travelogue, part mystery, plays tribute to mountain photographer Vittorio Sella.
The filmmakers will answer your questions against the backdrop of the exquisite exhibition.
12 Sep | 7:30pm
Cosmic Cumbria Exhibition
23 Oct – 8 Feb | Free to See
Eden Valley and Penrith Astronomy Group have created an exhibition of Astrophotography for Rheged, to coincide and celebrate Cumbria’s Dark Skies Festival. This interactive exhibition will take you on a cosmic journey from Earth through our Solar System to the outer reaches of the Milky Way and beyond to other Galaxies Far Far Away! Bring a fully charged mobile so you can interact with our friendly alien Zak. He will guide you through the exhibition, and you can ask him questions along the way. The Exhibition includes photography from Penrith & District Camera Club, Cockermouth Astronomical Society, Eddington Astronomical Society (Kendal) and Furness & South Lakeland Astronomical Society. This exhibition has been made possible with the support of Cumbrian Stone, Lakes and Dales Co-op and the former Penrith Lottery.
Related Events:
Cosmic Cumbria – Exhibition Opening Celebration, Film, Talk and Q&A
23 Oct | 7pm | Adults £12 Concessions £10
Featuring Astrophotography Exhibition launch, Film Premier of Cumbria Night Skies and talk by Professor Roger William Lewis Jones, Principal Investigator of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (UK) project.
Ask an Astronomer
Sat 31 Oct 2026 | 10am-4pm | Free
Are you interested in Astronomy? Members of Eden Vallery & Penrith Astronomy Group will be at Rheged for the day with a range of telescopes and related equipment used by amateur Astronomers. Expect a warm welcome, practical advice, demonstrations, and information on forthcoming events.
Creative Classes
