The new Portlock Galleries at SoNo in Chesapeake is the premier visual art facility in the area. Portlock Galleries hosts local and traveling art exhibitions and offers art classes and art appreciation programs for adults and children. Situated at the center of the Hampton Roads area, visitors to Chesapeake can also take advantage of the diverse art scenes only minutes away in Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach. For instance, the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk showcases a collection of over 30,000 paintings, photography and decorative arts exhibits spanning almost 4,000 years of art history. The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia in nearby Virginia Beach focuses on 20th century gallery exhibitions, studio art classes, educational outreach programs and outdoor art shows.

The Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission is the voice for the arts in the city sponsoring exhibitions and shows include: The Healing Arts Exhibition, Student Art Gallery and Lakeside Park Art Show. On the performing arts scene, the Commission and Tidewater Community College Theater sponsor an annual Shakespeare in the Grove production.