The 5 Best Art Galleries Around Truckee/North Lake Tahoe Region

For most, the arts are a vital part of a well-rounded education and a strong local economy. In places like Truckee and North Lake Tahoe — where natural beauty draws creatives from all over — art galleries aren’t just cultural amenities. They’re economic engines, community anchors and reflections of the region’s bold, mountain-made identity. These spaces offer far more than framed landscapes or curated ceramics. These Best of North Lake Tahoe and Truckee finalists invite locals and visitors to experience Sierra Nevada through the eyes of its artists.

The Eadington Gallery

The Eadington Gallery in Tahoe City presents more than just alpine scenes — it presents a legacy of place, told in pixels and ink. Founder Michael Eadington has been photographing Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada for more than 30 years. His approach is immersive, capturing light, weather and terrain with both a climber’s knowledge and an artist’s intuition. Originally launched from a home studio, his gallery opened in 2011 and remains one of the few in the region offering professional-grade giclée printing in-house. Whether it’s a metal print that glows in low light or a stretched canvas custom-framed to match a collector’s space, each image is carefully crafted, not just shot.

Michael’s wife Lisa joined the business in 2018, bringing hospitality to the foreground. She connects with customers on a personal level — sometimes digging through archives to find specific scenes of Donner Pass or chatting about the nuances of seasonal change. Together, they’ve cultivated a gallery that feels less like a retail space and more like an open studio where dialogue and discovery are encouraged. For those looking to take home a literal slice of Tahoe’s grandeur, The Eadington Gallery offers both the artwork and the expertise to make it last.

Chickadee Art Collective

What began as a garage pop-up quickly evolved into one of Kings Beach’s most energizing creative centers. Chickadee Art Collective was founded by Nicole Stirling in 2021, after a local gallery space she participated in closed unexpectedly. Rather than see the arts community fracture, she built a new venue from the ground up. With help from her husband Dave, she opened a permanent storefront that now represents more than 60 local artists and makers.

Chickadee’s offerings span mediums and moods — hand-poured candles, wearable art, functional ceramics, abstract wall hangings, and Tahoe-themed gifts. Nicole’s own work in bead art and geometric mandala paintings adds a unique personal signature to the shop’s identity. The space doubles as a venue for classes, kids’ art camps and rotating markets, each designed to support working artists and bring neighbors together. The collective’s ethos — community over competition— is woven through everything they do. For those craving art with a pulse and a purpose, Chickadee offers a storefront powered by creative momentum.

Riverside Studios

Riverside Studios has been at the heart of Truckee’s art scene for more than two decades. Founded in 2002 by five local artists, the gallery was born from collaboration—each founding member bringing a different discipline to the table: ceramics, leatherwork, metal sculpture, silver jewelry and graphic arts. The result was never meant to be a gallery alone, but a working studio space where the public could witness process alongside product.

Over the years, Riverside has grown to represent more than 35 artists, but it’s stayed true to its hands-on roots. Much of the work on display — jewelry, wall art, glass, wood, and mixed-media home décor — is still made by artists who live and work nearby. The gallery hosts First Friday events each month, offering the public a chance to meet creators and talk shop. There’s a rhythm to the place: busy, tactile, a little unpredictable — in the best way. It’s the kind of spot where art doesn’t just hang on the wall. It’s forged, stitched, carved and fired behind it.

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