SEND, Research, Artist (North West)
Dr Kevin Dalton-Johnson is a distinguished artist, educator and cultural advocate with over 30 years of experience across diverse educational settings. He has taught in higher education, further education, mainstream schools, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) programmes, and offender learning, where he served as a Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Coordinator (LDD). A graduate of Leeds University, Kevin has led many nationwide projects that seamlessly integrate teaching and artistic practice.
In 2005, Kevin created Captured Africans for the Slave Trade Art Memorial Project (STAMP). This groundbreaking sculpture stands as the first public artwork in Lancaster's Quayside area to honour enslaved Africans in the UK. As a curator, Kevin has organised significant exhibitions including Trade and Empire at the Whitworth Art Gallery (2008) and Africa 53 (2009), which highlighted contemporary African artists on the global stage.
Kevin recently completed his EdD doctoral research at Manchester Metropolitan University, examining the experiences of Black teachers in the English education system and their strategies for maintaining resilience within often hostile, systematically racist working environments. His innovative research methodology challenges traditional academic approaches by incorporating non-Western and non-traditional methods, using art installations to interpret findings and extend the research's impact to broader communities. Through critical race theory, culturally relevant teaching and personal narratives, he connects his multifaceted work as an artist, researcher and educator. His installations worldwide reflect his journey as a Black British professional, exploring the dynamic relationship between art, lived experience and academic discourse.
As Creative Impact Lead for the Runnymede Trust's VISUALISE project, funded by the Freelands Foundation, Kevin focuses on advancing race, inclusion and representation in visual arts and arts education. He is co-founder of the NSEAD United Black Art Educators (UBAE) support group.
Kevin serves as a trustee at the historic Portico Library in Manchester, where he helps preserve literary heritage while championing diversity and accessibility in cultural institutions.