PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES. Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate since June 2017. The author of Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter, published by Tate Publishing in June 2024, previously Maria was Director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester; Director of Manchester City Galleries; and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council. She is the first female director of the Tate, with overall responsibility for Tate’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations, and each of the four Tate galleries has their own site Director who reports in to her.

“We’re reshaping what people think about when they describe the art world”

“People come because they want to learn something, and they enjoy doing it because at best our museums are non-didactic learning spaces.”

“When people are given the opportunity to bring their own ideas or participate actively, it makes them feel like the gallery is their own.”