Not everyone wants to spend every waking moment on the beaches of Cape Cod, though we wouldn’t blame them if they did!
Aside from the beaches, there are tons of lovely and interesting things to do on Cape Cod. While some come for the sandy beaches, others come for the acclaimed art. If you want a break from the heat, check out any of the below four highly-acclaimed and unique Cape Cod art galleries.
Addison Art Gallery
The Addison Art Gallery hosts special exhibits featuring an assortment of local masters in oil painting, mixed media, and more across multiple styles. Exhibits often incorporate landscaping, wildlife, and other themes and sights of Cape Cod.
Upcoming exhibits include “In Thoreau’s Views,” “Celebrate Our Waters,” and “Abele and Eizenberg’s Illuminated Landscape,” all with distinct focuses on the stunning and elegant beauty of the cape.
The gallery also offers local demonstrations and workshops for aspiring artists. Many artists who participated in the workshops went on to be showcased at the gallery.
The Addison Art Gallery is located in Orleans, just a short hop over from our Brewster vacation rentals on Cape Cod.
Cape Cod Museum of Art
The Museum of Art is one of the cape’s top sights. This impressive mansion in Dennis has a permanent collection as well as a series of rotating exhibits, featuring abstract landscapes, statues, and work from local impressionists modern and classic. You can look forward to upcoming exhibits like “Transformed by Color,” as well as the stark sketch work of Peter Michael Martin in “Moby Dick: Inspired Visions.”
Check out the museum shop for prints, mugs, and more. Consignment opportunities are also available.
Kendall Art Gallery
The Kendall Gallery takes a slightly different approach to the arts. This fine gallery features almost exclusively contemporary work. It is also home to two distinct sections- the main interior gallery and the statue courtyard known as the outback gallery. It is housed in a gorgeous Greek-revival home, with emboldened landscape works, intriguing statues, as well as fascinating and peculiar additions, like puppets and bronze figures.
You can find an assortment of fine art pieces collected in the Kendall Gallery. Kendall is selective and is happy to extend outside the scope of Cape Cod. To date, the gallery has featured original work from over forty different artists.
Local Color Art Gallery
This eclectic Chatham gallery is filled with colorful marine art and all sorts of enthralling works from a refined list of local artists. The gallery is strictly local. Many of the featured artists have been on Cape Cod for their whole life, and the art retains that sense of local intimacy. Get a peek at the history of the cape. At Local Color, you can find a cozy atmosphere, with books, wall art, historical plaques, ornaments, and a quiet seating area.
The gallery also collaborates with the Chatham Farmer’s Market on Cape Cod. The market offers locally roasted coffee, pasture-raised meats, organic produce, and, of course, locally-made art. The gallery is a mainstay at the market. You can always find a representative displaying and selling hand-selected art for the week.
Stop by the gallery for the chance to see a local artisan at work, more than happy to share a conversation. It is located on scenic route 28, known as Main Street.
Review our full list of available Cape Cod vacation rentals. Stay in the area that you most connect with. We love Brewster, but we have rentals available all along the grand cape. Don’t forget to indulge in every nook and cranny of Cape Cod’s art world, no matter where you decide to stay!
