East Gallery

East Gallery – Exhibiting local talent

East Gallery is a unique community art gallery in the heart of Stratford.

It was created to give local artists the chance to showcase their work. Our changing exhibitions programme showcases a diverse range of work by emerging and established artists, community arts programmes and work created by East Thames residents.

Why we have a gallery space at East Thames…

Why would a social and affordable housing provider run a community art gallery? It’s a fair question to ask, and we have been asked that exact question more than once.

The answer is two-fold.

Firstly, we’re completely rooted in east London. When we opened our purpose built offices in Stratford in mid-2008 we wanted to make a statement about our commitment to the area and our vision for the future. So we went out on a limb and created a gallery space.

Secondly, and most importantly, although housing is our core business, we’re also in the business of building communities and making people’s lives better.

We do all sorts of things to achieve this – from employment and training programmes, through to healthy eating initiatives and arts and culture activities. The gallery has provided the perfect place to showcase the work of our residents and the many community groups we support.

How we decide on the programme...

As you might imagine, this is both the best part of the job and the hardest part! Basically we have between 6 and 8 exhibitions every year, with the average exhibition running for 6-8 weeks.

Some of the exhibitions purely focus on our residents, but we also work with a range of community groups and individuals.

Our programming is based on a couple of simple principles – giving up and coming artists a chance to exhibit their work, and showcasing life in east London and Essex.

Come visit East Gallery!

East Gallery, 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford, London, E15 4PH