Hosting four exhibitions a year in our Gallery, take a look at some our previous exhibitions, from our annual Great Print Exhibition and the phenomenally successful Libby Edmondson | A Life Full of Colour and Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before celebrating Jackie Morris, to touring exhibitions like the New Light Art Prize.

In Bud & Bloom

Summer 2025

Celebrating flowers as a source of inspiration through over 220 contemporary artworks by 43 artists across 21 mediums. From painting to paper art, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, and installations. Explore Cumbrian gardens, symbolism of flowers and floral influences in the Cumbrian Arts and Crafts movement. Plus, enjoy a fun paper flower-making activity for children.

Great Print 10

Spring 2025

We celebrated the 10th anniversary of Rheged’s Great Print Exhibition! Visitors discovered over 1,000 stunning contemporary artworks from UK artists, showcasing screenprint, etching, lino block, and collagraph.

We put a spotlight on the timeless art of letterpress, and featured iconic tools, authentic typefaces, and bold new works. Showing how today’s printmakers are reinventing this classic technique with bold, contemporary designs.

Specially curated areas showcased Cumbrian printmakers, Sarah Cemmick and her British Wildlife prints and Sue Rowland’s latest project, that told the fascinating stories of two forward thinking female Victorian explorers.   

Everest Revisited

Winter 2024

This inspiring exhibition, delved into the stories of Everest climbers, from pioneering adventurers to today’s record-setters—and uncovered an array of Cumbrian connections.

2024 marked the centenary of Mallory and Irvine’s disappearance near the Summit of Everest. We revisited the Mallory and Irvine story with a new perspective. Presenting original artworks by Somervell and William Heaton Cooper, alongside historic photographs from the Wakefield Family archives and rarely-seen artefacts from the Alpine Club, the Mountain Heritage Trust, and the Royal Geographical Society.

Spanning over a century of mountaineering history, the exhibition reflected on thought-provoking themes of mountain waste, spirituality and motivation, and highlighted the positive efforts underway to support mountain communities in Nepal. Contemporary artworks and sculptures by UK artists were also displayed.

Native Spirit: The Herdwick

Autumn 2024

Ian Lawson returned to Rheged’s Gallery after 9 years to share his brand-new Herdwick portraits. With breathtaking landscapes and compelling stories, this beautiful exhibition transported visitors to the beating heart of the Herdwick Kingdom.

This contemporary photographic exhibition offered an intimate glimpse into the lives of the Lake District’s legendary mountain sheep. Set against the backdrop of the region’s ever-changing seasonal fells, each photograph captured the unique essence and rugged beauty of these near-mythic creatures.

This captivating collection of rare photographs celebrated the launch of Ian Lawson’s new book, ‘The Lake District: Herdwick’, following several Herdwick flocks throughout the seasons, and with each season there is a unique story to tell.

Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before

Summer 2024

Specially curated in partnership with Rheged, we were delighted to have Lost Spells, Lost Words: Beyond & Before in our Gallery, a magical exhibition celebrating the over 30 years of award-winning, internationally best-selling illustrator, wildlife artist and author Jackie Morris.

The exhibition set in three parts, visitors discovered not only Jackie’s life, career and early work but the original artwork and soundscapes of the award-winning ‘The Lost Words’ and ‘The Lost Spells’, which she created with Robert Macfarlane.

In partnership with Compton Verney and Northumberland National Park.

New Light Prize Exhibition

Spring 2024

The New Light Prize Exhibition is an open art competition which celebrates and promotes the best of Northern art, open to artists born, living or studying an art-based degree in Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire.

Carefully selected from a prestigious panel of judges, the exhibition displayed over 120 exciting artworks in an array of mediums, with 5 award winners, and included a chance to vote for the visitors choice award.

Great Print Exhibition Nine

Winter 2023/ 2024