Nell Daniel

Nell Daniel, MA, MFA, PhD, has been an exhibiting artist, educator, and innovative leader working towards greater diversity, equity, access and inclusion in arts institutions (schools, afterschool programs, and museums) for over 30 years. The publication of her 1999 Master’s Thesis about Diversity issues at Rhode Island School of Design and its peer institutions led to 6 years of service on RISD’s Board of Trustees. After directing Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s High School Programs, she founded and managed SEE, a national design education organization for under-resourced urban youth that was featured on the Today Show in 2008. SEE was the focus of her Doctoral Fellowship in Education at NYU focusing on the links between creative learning and resilience for at-risk teens.

Nell has exhibited her painting, photography and installation work in the U.S. and internationally, and completed her MFA in Visual Arts in 2022. Shortly afterwards, she served on the SGJ Co-Lab team to help curate the new art installation for The Rockefeller Foundation’s headquarters on Fifth Avenue. She has been selected for residencies such as Diversity & Museums (Smithsonian) with Claudine Brown (1998), the American Academy in Rome (2019) and Vermont Studio Center (2023). Nell has been invited to speak at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), National Art Education Association (NAEA), RISD, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, and the Aspen Institute. Nell is a working artist who teaches Art, Design, and Art & Design Histories in Brooklyn.