The annual Daphne Mayo Lecture is presented by The School of English, Media Studies and Art History and ,The University of Queensland Art Museum  in association with The Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc.

The School of English, Media Studies and Art History at The University of Queensland established the annual Daphne Mayo Visiting Professorship in Visual Culture to honour and commemorate the life of one of Queensland’s most prominent artists and art educators.

Daphne Mayo (1895–1982) was for much of her life Queensland’s best known artist and passionate advocate for the arts. Her work includes the Tympanum on the Brisbane City Hall and the Women’s War Memorial in Anzac Square. She was a trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery 1960–1967, established an art reference library now at The University of Queensland, and left her private papers to The University of Queensland's Fryer Library.

Each year, a major figure visits Brisbane to speak about the latest trends, influences, and theories in their area of visual culture. They give public lectures and take master classes with postgraduate students at The University of Queensland.