Lexington Art Galleries, Museums, Supplies & More

Best art galleries Lexington museums supplies classes your area

We are all about to dive deep into everything about art in Lexington and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.

Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.

If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Lexington art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.

You can also check out our other posts on art around the Southeast at that link.

Best Art Galleries & Museums In Lexington:

If you want to check out the best art galleries and museums in Lexington you can head to:

Around 5,000 objects are featured in University of Kentucky Art Museum’s permanent collection including everything from old masters to contemporary works by European, American, and non-Western artists like Alexander Calder, Agostino Carracci, Jean Dubuffet, Julien Dupré, Sam Gilliam, Gilbert Stuart, Agostino Carracci, Agostino Nevelson, and more. They are open from 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 5pm on Saturday offering art workshops, themed games, and creative writing challenges from their own artwork collection.

A fascinating and diverse permanent collection of decorative objects and fine arts in your area including a collection of antique dollhouses have been featured at The Headley-Whitney Museum since 1968 where they also host significant rotating exhibitions. Some of their spaces are available to rent for special events and various workshops ranging from painting to jewelry making for people of all ages and you can see all they have to offer from 10am to 4pm Friday through Sunday.

The Living Arts and Science Center houses the Kinkead Gallery, the Glo Gallery, the Atrium Gallery, and the Student Gallery all of which are open to the public and free of charge. Aside from featuring arts they also offer year-round educational programs for all ages, scholarship opportunities, and monthly events.

Artists’ Attic is open from noon to 4pm Friday and Saturday showcasing and selling the works of young and established artists while promoting visual arts education through demonstrations, classes, and workshops. They also have a professional studio space that can be rented out by emerging and established visual artists.

One of the oldest contemporary fine art galleries in Lexington is New Editions Gallery which is open from noon to 5pm Wednesday through Saturday showing off the works of over 35 professional and emerging national, regional, and local artists with exhibitions that rotate every two months plus they offer custom frames, installations, and fine art acquisition consultations for private and commercial clients.

The Lexington Art League is opens at noon Wednesday through Friday providing studio rentals and hosting an annual art festival featuring national creators called The Woodland Art Fair which takes place in August at Woodland Park. Every fourth Friday of the month they also organize an event in collaboration with a different artist and organizations that is free and accessible to the general public.

Materials & Supplies Near You

The best stores to buy art supplies and materials in your area are:

Brandon Thomas Art is a locally owned art supply store selling its own brands of brushes and other painting supplies.

Whether you need clay, glaze, raw materials, tools, or equipment Kentucky Mudworks has it all plus they have pottery classes and workshops for people of all skill levels and ages.

Hobby Lobby and Michaels are two well-known chain stores that are also good places to buy art supplies near you as well as to get custom framing.

Shows & Events

Some of the top art shows and events in Lexington would be:

Distillery District Arts and Music Festival is a free yearly festival held on Manchester Street in April that features national and local artists and musicians, food trucks, bars, and restaurants.

Mayfest is a two-day juried art fair in your area that takes place at Gratz Park in May that features up to 100 vendors, performances by musicians, dancers, strolling entertainers, food concession sellers, and family activities that attract 25,000 visitors every year.

Over 50,000 visitors come to visit The Woodland Art Fair each August and it is one of the Lexington Art League’s longest-running and most popular annual events which you can check out at Woodland Park.

Over the past 10 years the Prhbtn Festival in October has been featuring many artists from Kentucky and the surrounding region who have produced over 40 murals throughout the downtown area.

Art Dealers & Appraisers

When you are ready to find a new piece for your collection or when you want to know how much a piece is worth you can go to art dealers and appraisers near you like:

The Wills Gallery has bought and sold works by artists such as Henry Faulkner, Dali, Picasso, and other outstanding creative minds.

Artists’ Attic Inc and New Editions Gallery from the Lexington art gallery list also sell works.

Walking Tours

Arts Connect’s Art Walk at 167 West Main Street will take you on a complete walking tour of the downtown area including art galleries, public art, and artist’s studios mixed with notable architectural features and intriguing historical facts. They offer tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as private tours that can be arranged upon request.

Sculptures

There are some really nice sculptures around town like:

  • Thoroughbred Park at 100 Midland Ave
  • Secretariat Statue at 2450 Old Frankfort Pike
  • Stand at S Mill St & W Vine St
  • Zero Milestone Camel at 100 E Main St

Thoroughbred Park is a 2.75 acre public park with 12 exquisite bronze statues that were created by celebrated artist Gwen Reardon.

The Secretariat Statue is a larger-than-life statue near you that measures 21 feet from hoof to hoof and more than 11 feet tall that was sculpted by Washington sculptor Jocelyn Russell and you can find it in the traffic circle at Alexandria Drive and Old Frankfort Pike intersection.

Stand is a 20-foot aluminum silhouetted statue that was created by nationally renowned artist Barbara Grygutis to honor historical women in the city.

William Ingram created zero Milestone Camel in 1926 which stands atop a granite pillar marking the official center of the city in Phoenix Park.

Lexington Art Classes

Framing art supply stores Lexington lessons near you studios

Whether you need lessons for kids or are an adult who wants to grow his skills you have some options. Some of the best Lexington art schools and classes can be found at:

Artplay Children’s Studio is a kid-led, creative, and imaginative space providing art lessons in your area to children aged 1 to 12 as well as art camps and open studio programs.

Ballet, band, contemporary dance, literary arts, theatre, piano, strings, visual art, and vocal music are among the 9 arts taught at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts which serves students in grades 4 through 8.

Art classes for people of all ages and skill levels are available at Cut and Paste Craft Studio who provides a variety of programs including seasonal art camps, private workshops, after-school classes, night classes, and special parties.

Pinot’s Palette and Painting With a Twist are popular paint and sip chains with hundreds of locations around the United States.

University of Kentucky Art Museum, The Headley-Whitney Museum, The Living Arts and Science Center, and Artists’ Attic from our main list above also have good art lessons in Lexington as does Kentucky Mudworks from our supply stores list.

Studios For Rent Near You

When you can’t wait to get that next project started rent some space at one of these local art studios:

The Headley-Whitney Museum, The Lexington Art League, and Artists’ Attic from our first list rent out art studio space in your area as well.

Framing

A frame can transform a regular looking piece or picture to that next level and some of the best places for art framing in Lexington are:

For more than 20 years Price Maples Sr Art and Framing has been providing oil paintings and prints in addition to local picture framing services.

South Hill Gallery is a custom framing store with an on-site woodshop and a full-service digital print lab. They also specialize in a wide variety of services including frame repairs, canvas stretching, needlework, digital imaging, and printing.

With over 60 years of combined experience Picture Perfect Custom Framing is one of the top places in town to get custom frames, shadow boxes, display cases, and more.

Other places we have mentioned that offer custom framing near you include New Editions Gallery, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.

You might also want to check out our posts on:

Have Fun Enjoying The Lexington Art Scene

At the moment that is all we have to share about the full art scene near you. We listed the best galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers that you may want to check out.

Those who are still reading this probably love art as much as we do. If so go ahead and use the comments to share your own tips or to let us know if you think we got anything wrong.

We hope you enjoy your time at the best Lexington art galleries, museums, supply stores, or doing whatever else you plan to do with the info.

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This post and all of the posts on our site are edited by Dan Soloman who has been a huge fan of art since he was a little kid. His mother was a good local artist, and she taught him the trade from a very early age. He studied art and its history in both high school and college, has worked at multiple galleries, and recently has begun creating and editing online content for this site and some other online media platforms.

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