Maria Balshaw

Margaret Pilkington being the only other female director from 1925 to 1945.

Maria Jane Balshaw CBE (born 24 January 1970) is director of the Tate art museums and galleries.

After gaining a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Liverpool (1991), she attended the University of Sussex, where she gained an MA in Critical Theory (1992), followed by a DPhil in African American Visual and Literary Culture (1996).

Balshaw was appointed Lecturer in Cultural Studies at University College Northampton in 1993.

In 1997, Balshaw joined the University of Birmingham as Research Fellow and Lecturer in Visual Culture.

In 2002, Balshaw left academia to become Director of Creative Partnerships in Birmingham.

She worked for Peter Jenkinson OBE, National Director of Creative Partnerships and former West Midlands colleague where he had been founder director of the New Art Gallery, Walsall.

As part of the newly formed Creative Partnerships, Balshaw was tasked with bringing arts organisations and artists into partnerships with schools.

A role which taught Balshaw "a tremendous amount about how to inspire, persuade and cajole unlike partners into common goals".

In 2004, Balshaw was selected as one of the inaugural fellows for the Clore Leadership programme.

Initiated by the Clore Duffield Foundation, the Programme is the UK's first cross-disciplinary leadership programme for the cultural and creative sector.

Balshaw was successful in her application to join the scheme from over 400 other applicants.

Since completing the year long course Balshaw has been appointed a member of the Strategic Advisory Board for the Clore Programme.

Upon completion of the Clore Leadership Programme, Balshaw acted as Regional Director of the West Midlands Creative Partnerships programme and then worked for nine months as Director of External Relations and Development for ACE: West Midlands.

In 2006, Balshaw was headhunted to become the Director of the Whitworth.

Throughout her work at the Whitworth, Balshaw has featured a broad range of disciplines championing art from around the world in particular West and South African art and the work of female artists.

She has been quoted as saying "We do have a lot of women artists on show at the Whitworth, but only because they’re really good. That’s fair."

Balshaw's appointment at the Whitworth made her the second female director in the history of the gallery.

Balshaw started the process of reviving the Whitworth in 2007 with the launch of a new capital build project.

Funding for the ambitious project totalling £15m came from the University Of Manchester, Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, trusts and foundations including Clore Duffield, Wolfson Foundation, Headley Trust, The Granada Foundation as well as Friends of the Whitworth and private donors.

In 2009, with the support of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Balshaw ran an international competition, that attracted 139 submissions from architects from all over the world.

The competition was chaired by Tom Bloxham and included Peter Saville as a judge.

In 2011, Balshaw took on the role of Director of Manchester City Galleries alongside her duties at the Whitworth.

McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) were appointed architects for the project and building work began in 2013.

On completion, the gallery has doubled its exhibition space and opened up the gallery to Whitworth park.

As The Guardian reported: "At the front, they have softened the forbidding entrance with a sculpture forecourt and an inviting sequence of steps, ramps and benches; but the real meat of the project is saved for the back, where MUMA have extended the symmetrical composition with a pair of wings that project out into Whitworth Park, framing a new sculpture garden. "It’s about having open arms and saying: ‘This place belongs to you.’" says Balshaw. "Before, we turned our back with a blank brick wall – now you can see what’s going on inside."

Balshaw commissioned landscape architect Sarah Price to design two new areas of landscaping named the Art and Orchard garden with other new facilities including a study centre, learning studio and a collections centre.

Reopening

On 12 June 2015 Balshaw was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in the Queen's birthday honours list, for Services to the Arts.

Born in Birmingham, Balshaw grew up in Leicester and Northampton.

The Whitworth reopened on 14 February 2015, with over 18,000 people attending the new gallery in the first two days to explore new exhibitions from Cornelia Parker and Cai Guo-Qiang.

In just six weeks over 100,000 visitors had explored the new gallery in the park.

The new Whitworth was named RIBA NW building of the year in May 2015.

The appointment was confirmed by Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister at the time, on 16 January 2017, making Balshaw the first female director of the Tate.

Balshaw has been director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester and also of Manchester City Galleries, which includes Manchester Art Gallery and Gallery of Costume.

Until May 2017 she was Director of Culture for Manchester City Council.

Balshaw also serves on the National Council of the Arts Council England.

In June 2017, Balshaw stepped down as Director of the Whitworth to become the first female Director of Tate.

During her time as director at the Whitworth, Balshaw has been responsible for commissioning a wide range of exhibitions.

Some of the most notable include: