Professor Daniel Fountain (they/he)

Professor Daniel Fountain is Associate Professor of Contemporary Art and Gender Studies at the University of Exeter, where they also serve as Director of Postgraduate Research in Art History and Visual Culture.

An internationally recognised art historian, artist, and curator, Daniel specialises in feminist, queer, and trans approaches to modern and contemporary art and visual culture (c.1940s-present). In 2024, they were named to Apollo magazine's prestigious global 40 Under 40 list, recognising influential figures shaping the future of the international art world. Their expertise has also been recognised by the UK Crafts Council, which describes Daniel as "the world-leading authority on queer craft", and by the Royal Society of Arts, which has appointed them as a Fellow in recognition of their contributions to arts, culture, and public engagement.

Daniel is the author of two major books, Crafted with Pride: Queer Craft and Activism in Contemporary Britain (Intellect and University of Chicago Press, 2023) and Queer Crafts: Material Practices and the Making of Identity (Bloomsbury, 2026). Their scholarship has been published in leading journals and edited collections, including GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Art History, MAI: Feminism and Visual Culture, TEXTILE: Cloth and Culture, and Feminist Art Practices and Research. Through this work, Daniel has made significant contributions to understanding the role of material culture in shaping LGBTQ+ identities, histories, and communities.

Alongside their academic research, Daniel maintains an internationally exhibited artistic practice centred on textiles and needlework. Their work explores themes of marginality, belonging, and identity through the reuse of found fabrics and discarded materials. Employing what they describe as a “scavenger methodology” and a “non-binary approach” to making, Daniel transforms materials and historically derogatory language into acts of resistance, play, and queer world-building. Their work has been featured in publications including Surface Design Journal, Crafts, Decorating Dissidence, and Embroidery: The Textile Art Magazine.

Daniel's curatorial, advisory, and public-engagement activities bring together scholarly research and cultural practice to advance inclusion within museums, galleries, and arts organisations for wider impact. They have recently undertaken curatorial and critical writing commissions for organisations including the Museum for Art in Wood, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, and the Crafts Council, and have delivered invited lectures and keynote presentations at institutions such as Tate, the Whitworth Art Gallery, and National Museums Liverpool. Their work has generated impact beyond academia, informing practice and policy across higher education, cultural institutions, charities, and government bodies, while contributing new understandings of LGBTQ+ histories, experiences, and representation.

A committed educator and academic leader, Daniel has taught at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels across the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Before joining the University of Exeter in 2021, they held academic appointments at Nottingham Trent University, Manchester School of Art, and Loughborough University. Daniel is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a PhD in Feminism, Sexual Politics and Visual Culture from Loughborough University.