using the arts and arts education to expand notions of who belongs on Cape Cod
We believe Cape Codders are the main characters in the story of Cape Cod; not accessories to someone else’s vacation.
Our new location with Belonging Books at 438 Main St, Hyannis, is open! Visit our new space Monday - Thursday, 11 am - 3 pm and Monday and Friday evenings from 4 pm - 8 pm or when Belonging Books is open. Check their website for more details.
Our Mission
The Cordial Eye is a community arts organization based on the Mid-Cape that strives to use the arts and arts education as a tool for expanding the definition of who belongs on Cape Cod and what it means to be a creative person here. We are dedicated to dismantling systems of oppression in our community by creating space for marginalized groups to amplify their impact in creating a more just and equitable world, through gathering, experimentation, exhibitions, and cultural expression.
What we do
Our two branches - The Cordial Eye Artist Space, which provides performance, exhibition, and professional development opportunities for artists, and The Cordial Eye Learning Lab, which provides educational opportunities for learners of all ages- are committed to centering the voices and needs of historically-excluded communities. By creating programming by, for, and with these communities- which include BIPOC folks, LGBTQ+ folks, disabled folks, and folks with financial barriers to access- we seek to create a Cape Cod that is vibrant, equitable, and a place of belonging for all
Vendor Applications for the 2026 Misfits Night Market are open
“Part artisan market, part experimental performance night, the Misfits Night Market is where you'll find art, trinkets, treasures, items and experiences by Cape Cod creators that aren't focused on tourism — here's to the local freaks who are alternative, subversive, weird, risqué, and quite likely gay!“
EVENT DETAILS
Who: We are looking for artists, artisans, makers, movers and shakers who are making work outside the traditional Cape Cod art scene, namely alternative, fringe, spicy and experimental work. Clothing, crafts, art and wares that are outside the norm of what you might find in a Main Street shop are welcome. Table fee of $40 per vendor.
We are also looking for performers with the same considerations in mind! Music and dance acts that exist outside the mainstream and other performance art à la burlesque, drag, et cetera highly sought! Performers do not pay a table fee and split ticket revenue evenly.
When: 6:00-9:00 PM on the following dates
July 25th (Deadline to apply July 1st)
September 26th (Deadline to apply August 1st)
December 5th (Deadline to apply October 15th)
Exhibitions
Matriarchal Strength: Stories of indigenous separation and border crossing
Matriarchal Strength: Stories of Indigenous Separation and Border Crossing is an extension of a powerful body of work by photographer and writer Rachael Devaney. This photo series navigates her experience as a transracial, transnational adoptee from El Salvador, her reunification with her birth family, and the experiences of other Salvadoran people.
Opening Reception July 10th, 5-8pm
Rachael Devaney
What was lost / can be remembered
Annika Sarin x Payal Kumar in collaboration with Belonging BooksWhat Was Lost / Can Be Remembered is an immersive, community-centered exhibition and event series that explores the invisible links connecting us through collective memory, ancestral inheritance, and shared storytelling.
This exhibition asks the questions: who gets access to nostalgia? What happens when we examine the past together through personal family history? And what can we gain from facing the past collectively for a better shared future?
Artwork featured will be composed of work by artists Annika Sarin and Payal Kumar. Annika’s work will include a mixed-media collage non-linear timeline tracing her family history from 1940 to the present. The timeline explores the effects of colonialism on three generations of women, and employs wood mirrors and mixed media collage to weave connections between the past and present. Payal’s work will feature . . . another lineage . . .
Alongside the exhibition, we will facilitate a community collage workshop where participants are invited to bring family photographs to create their own family-history-based artworks.
15 Songs, 15 Scenes: visualizations of Mr. Z
“15 Songs, 15 Scenes: visualizations of Mr. Z” is a multi-medium exhibition which explores ways of relaying and interpreting stories. Mr. Z is an album consisting of 15 tracks, as described in the exhibit title. Each song has an image that serves as the selected visual artist’s interpretation of the specific story being told in the song. The album as a whole follows the story of an album rollout and tour, giving us a glimpse into an extended universe created by The ZYG 808. This exhibition will be on view August 14th - September 12. Participating artists include Nor Lucas, Alicia Peters, Anastaci Pacella, Alexis Charles, Kai Barrows, Kestral Bossard-Kruger, C. R. Florence, The ZYG 808, Viktor DeWolfe, and Liam Nickerson.
Please join us for an opening reception and album release party on August 14th from 5-9 pm. Music at 6:00PM Musical performances by Tools of Destruction, Haeron Gray, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor and The ZYG 808. Hosted by TheFaneFox & Sounds by GM Slim One
The ZYG 808Upcoming events
Connect to your creativity with arts classes in our learning lab
Rare and vintage tee collector, Dirty Laundry, has organized a precious market for July 4th from 10am - 4 pm! You’ll find vintage and contemporary clothing, art, and curated home goods and accessories that you are sure to love.