Maria Balshaw has been director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester and of Manchester City Galleries, which includes Manchester Art Gallery and Gallery of Costume.
22 Facts About Maria Balshaw
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Maria Balshaw serves on the national council of the Arts Council England.
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On 12 June 2015, Maria 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.
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Maria Balshaw was appointed lecturer in cultural studies at University College Northampton in 1993.
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In 1997, Maria Balshaw joined the University of Birmingham as research fellow and lecturer in visual culture.
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In 2002, Maria Balshaw left academia to become director of Creative Partnerships in Birmingham.
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Maria Balshaw 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.
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In 2004, Maria Balshaw was selected as one of the inaugural fellows for the Clore Leadership programme.
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Maria Balshaw was successful in her application to join the scheme from over 400 other applicants.
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Since completing the yearlong course, Maria Balshaw has been appointed a member of the strategic advisory board for the Clore Programme.
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In 2006, Maria Balshaw was headhunted to become the director of the Whitworth.
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In June 2017, Maria Balshaw stepped down as director of the Whitworth to become the first female director of Tate.
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Maria Balshaw started the process of reviving the Whitworth in 2007 with the launch of a new capital build project.
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In 2009, with the support of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Maria Balshaw ran an international competition, that attracted 139 submissions from architects from all over the world.
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Maria 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.
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In 2011, Maria Balshaw took on the role of Director of Manchester City Galleries alongside her duties at the Whitworth.
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Maria Balshaw has been director of Tate art museums and galleries since 2017, succeeding Sir Nicholas Serota.
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Maria Balshaw's appointment was confirmed by the UK prime minister on 16 January 2017, making her the first female director of the Tate.
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Maria Balshaw was a member of the jury for the inaugural Sigg Prize, which selected Samson Young as winner in 2020.
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Maria Balshaw married Professor Liam Kennedy in 1997; they have a son and a daughter.
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Maria Balshaw married Nick Merriman, who was then director of the Manchester Museum, in 2010.
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Maria Balshaw's book choice was Vickery's Folk Flora: an A-Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants by Roy Vickery, her luxury item was a full set of flower and vegetable seeds and her favourite track was "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward" by Billy Bragg.