The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts has occupied a neoclassical mansion in Parikia since 1966, offering semester-long residency programmes for artists, writers, and musicians. It is not a conventional gallery — it is a working arts school — but the centre does stage occasional exhibitions and events that are open to the public.
For visitors interested in creative practice rather than standard tourist sights, the centre is worth knowing about. The mansion itself is beautiful, the programme has attracted serious talent over its sixty-year history, and it contributes to the particular atmosphere of Parikia that separates it from pure-tourist-resort towns. Check their schedule online before visiting; there is not always something on.