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

Upcoming events

Featured

Creative Futures Cape Cod Showcase

$0.00

May 15, 2026
4:00pm-7:00pm

Join us for the annual closing celebration and showcase for Creative Futures Cape Cod! CFCC is an artist fellowship program for adults between the ages of 18 and 40. This year's' cohort includes teaching artists, photographers, visual artists, writers, fiber artists, musicians, and movement specialists. Join us at 438 Main on Friday, 5/15, from 4pm-7pm for an exhibition of the cohort's work, live demonstrations, performances, and free food!

Biggest Beast "At the Altar" Record Release Show

$10.00

May 30th, 2026
Doors 6:00pm Music 7:00pm
$10 Suggested at the Door

Biggest Beast (James Davis) will be celebrating the release of his first album “At the Altar” under this project. He will be joined by long time friends and collaborators Play Pretend and Peggy O.

Look Me in the Eyes

$0.00

Opening Reception: May 1st, 5-8pm
Exhibition on View through June 26
Closing reception: June 26 from 5–8 PM

Look Me in the Eyes by Tish and S. Bean Kearns is a figurative painting exhibition that confronts purity culture, nudity, and body politics asking a direct question: why does the body make us uncomfortable, and who taught us that it should?

Being naked is not inherently sexual. It never was. Nudity is comfort, power, and vulnerable. The problem is not the body it’s how we’ve been taught to see and conceal it.

Naked bodies, especially feminine bodies have been sexualized across cultures and throughout history. Yet nudity itself is natural; every other animal exists without clothing, without shame, without the weight of moral judgment placed on their bodies. So why has our own natural state been reframed as something sexual, something wrong, or even something dirty?

Part of this comes from the historical influence of religion and by that virtue the legacy of purity culture. This has shaped how bodies are perceived and controlled. These frameworks have often equated modesty with morality and positioned the body as something to be covered, disciplined, or even feared. Over time, this rhetoric has extended beyond religion into broader society, embedding shame where there should be ease and self-acceptance.

This is where purity culture and rape culture quietly overlap through shame, silence, and control. These things combined within society trains us to monitor bodies instead of questioning the systems that police them. They blur conversations about consent by shifting responsibility onto the vulnerable and rewarding silence with a false sense of safety. What was she wearing should never be the question, humans should be able to be naked and comfortable with one another or at the least safe with one another.

So look. Look at these naked bodies, pay attention to what you feel, and question what nudity means to you.

These figures exist behind sheer curtains partially hidden and partially revealed. The barrier is not just visual, but cultural. Viewers must physically move the curtain to see the work, therefore turning the act of looking into a choice. Not passive. Not accidental. Intentional. Will you confront your discomfort or will you look the other way on the topic of body politics?

So, Look Me in the Eyes.