History
The University of Greenwich founded the Stephen Lawrence Gallery in 2000 following the publication of the Macpherson report into the police handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder enquiry.
The gallery was the initiative of Paul Stigant, then dean of the Woolwich faculty at the University of Greenwich, working in close partnership with Stephen’s mother, Doreen Lawrence, who had been a student at the University in 1993, when Stephen was murdered in a racist attack.
The Woolwich Campus was the first home of the gallery, where its establishment was assisted by a group of enthusiastic local supporters. One of this group, Kelly O’Reilly, became the first curator, taking the gallery forward to its new site at Maritime Greenwich.
While the gallery was set up to remember Stephen Lawrence, the aim has been to take a positive message forward in doing so, by promoting a diverse approach to the representation visual cultures.
