Dr Maria Balshaw
The IMA Annual White Lecture in the autumn provides a forum for some of the most influential national and international contemporary museum professionals to speak on matters relating to museums. It is held in memory of Dr James White, who was one of the founders of the Irish Museums Association.
Past speakers at this prestigious event have included Enrique Juncosa, Director, Irish Museum of Modern Art; Sir Timothy Clifford, Director General, National Galleries of Scotland; Sune Nordgren, Director, National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Norway; Neil McGregor, Director, British Museum; Professor Jack Lohman, Director, Museum of London and Chairman of ICOM (UK); Philippe de Montebello, Director, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the Acropolis Museum, Athens; Sir Mark Jones, Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and Dr Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain, London; Dr Michael Ryan, former Director of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin.
2013 Annual Lecture
The 2013 Annual Lecture will be given by Dr Maria Balshaw, Director of the Whitworth Gallery and of Manchester City Galleries. This event is supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Title: to be confirmed
Venue: National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square West, Dublin 2
Date: Thursday 14 November 2013 from 18:30 to 20:00 including pre-lecture reception
The speaker
Dr Maria Balshaw has been Director of the Whitworth Art Gallery since June 2006. She has coordinated a challenging programme of historic, modern and contemporary exhibitions that capitalise on the Whitworth's centre city university location as well as having a strong international profile.
In 2011 she took on the role of Director of Manchester City Galleries alongside her duties at the Whitworth. This dual directorship represents a unique partnership between the University of Manchester and Manchester City Council, bringing the two institutions and Manchester's historic and modern art collections into complementary alliance for the first time in their history. Her early career experience included working as Director of Development and External Relations at Arts Council: West Midlands and from 2002 - 2005 she was Director of Creative Partnerships: Birmingham.
In 2004, Maria was selected as one of the inaugural Fellows for the Clore Cultural Leadership programme. Before moving into the cultural sector Maria worked as Research Fellow in Urban Culture at the University of Birmingham and as lecturer in Cultural Studies at University College Northampton. She published a number of books and essays on African-American urban culture, gender and visuality.
For Bookings, please visit http://www.eventbrite.ie/org/2761612912