Abigail Harrison Moore

Professor Abigail Harrison Moore is Professor of Art History and Museum Studies at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds, within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. She joined the University of Leeds in 1996 and has co-developed the successful masters programmes in Art Gallery and Museum Studies and MA Arts Management and Heritage Studies. She is a founding member of the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage and the Centre for Collaborative Heritage Research.

Her research interests focus on 19th and early 20th century art and design history, particularly the Arts and Crafts Movement, with significant contributions to energy and environmental history, art market studies, and creative education. She has pioneered work on gender and energy history, co-editing the influential volume In a New Light; Histories of Women and Energy. Her research spans interdisciplinary boundaries, connecting art history with social, legal, and environmental dimensions.

Professor Moore's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the intersection of art, society, and material culture across time. Her work shows particular strength in examining how historical developments in art and design connect with broader social transformations, especially regarding gender, energy, and education. She has made significant contributions to understanding how art movements like the Arts and Crafts Movement responded to technological changes.

• NEON recognition in 2021 for outstanding contribution to widening access
• International Society for Education in Art (InSEA) award in 2025 for Art Teachers Connect

Professor Moore has supervised numerous PhD students working on diverse topics including collecting practices, museum education internationally, decorative arts, and contemporary curatorial approaches. She leads innovative outreach initiatives including Art Teachers Connect (supporting over 250 teachers reaching 40,000 young people weekly) and the Discover Articulation Challenge. Her AHRC Research Development and Engagement Fellowship (2022) focuses on co-producing histories of women and energy with Leeds City Museum's Preservative Party.

She is actively involved with multiple research centers including the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage, and collaborates extensively with cultural institutions such as Leeds Museums and Galleries, the National Trust, and the Royal Armouries through projects like the Registrars Project.