Rate My Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks

Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks is an artist-educator serving as the inaugural Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Arts University Plymouth, where he holds the title of Professor of Fine Arts Education in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. With over 28 years of experience in UK higher education, he spearheaded the institution's transition from Plymouth College of Art to university status in 2022. He joined Plymouth College of Art as Academic Dean in 2018, became Interim Principal and Chief Executive in 2021, and was confirmed as Principal in 2022. Previously, he occupied senior academic roles at Norwich University of the Arts, Oxford Brookes University, University of Bath, Loughborough University, University of Leeds, University of Wolverhampton, and the Universitat de Barcelona. Fieldsend-Danks is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

His scholarly and artistic endeavors revolve around the artist-teacher paradigm, positing artistic practice and pedagogy as interdependent processes within the studio—a realm of uncertainty fostering curiosity and inquiry. He regards art-making as an inherent learning mechanism and teaching as an extension of creative exploration, influenced by artists such as Richard Hamilton and Roger Ackling. His artworks have been exhibited internationally in the UK, Australia, Germany, Japan, Spain, Denmark, Finland, and Switzerland, and are represented in public and private collections. Notable publications encompass 'Drawing-in-situ: material encounters with place' (2020) in Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice; guest editorship of 'Drawing learning' (2019) in the same journal; and 'The Dialogues project: Students as partners in developing research-engaged learning' (2016) in Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education. He sits on the editorial board of Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice and conducts peer reviews for Making Futures and The Journal of Visual Arts Practice. Beyond academia, he joined the UK Council of Creative UK in 2023, was elected Chair of GuildHE Creative in 2024, serves on the Plymouth Growth Board, acts as Interim Chair of Destination Plymouth, and co-founded the Young Person’s Art Competition at The Box, Plymouth in 2024.