The Gallery organizes and presents five to six exhibitions each year. In addition, we offer lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and many other kinds of public programs. Gallery docents give tours that include hands-on art projects to over 3,000 school children each year, in addition to tours for seniors and adult groups. The approximately sixty volunteer members of the Bedford Gallery Docent Council receive professional training in both art history and teaching techniques. The Bedford Gallery Guild, a volunteer group of 55 members, staffs the reception desk every day, hosts receptions and other special events, and produces annual fundraising events.

With 3,500 square feet of exhibition space, Bedford Gallery is the largest community-based visual arts facility between the Bay Area and Sacramento. This contemporary art space is housed in the City of Walnut Creek's Dean Lesher Center for the Arts, which also contains three theaters. The Gallery was originally founded in 1968 as the Civic Arts Gallery and was renamed for Peter and Kirsten Bedford, who donated generously to the Center's campaign.

The Bedford Gallery is a program of the City of Walnut Creek's Department of Arts, Recreation, and Community Services. The Diablo Regional Arts Association, a private non-profit tax-exempt organization, provides vital financial and volunteer enrichment for the Bedford Gallery and other Cultural Services programs.