Name: Tate Director Maria Balshaw on Why Museums Matter
Start: 2024-08-09T19:30:00+01:00
End: 2024-08-09T20:30:00+01:00
Location: Topping & Company Booksellers of Edinburgh

Tate Director Maria Balshaw on Why Museums Matter

This August, we're thrilled to be welcoming Director of Tate Maria Balshaw to present her latest book, A Gathering of Strangers. Join us for a powerful, timely and thought-provoking exploration of the transformative role of the museum – and of art – in society today.
Gathering of Strangers
In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, museums have experienced unprecedented disruption and change. At the same time, there is a growing debate over what museums are for, who they speak to and what the histories, objects and ideas they are tasked with holding reflect – all taking place within a public sphere that feels increasingly dynamic and volatile.
Taking a wide-ranging and thought-provoking look at the roles and responsibilities of some of our most well-known and beloved public institutions, Gathering of Strangers explores the critical challenges and opportunities for the museum at this point in the twenty-first century. Moving from the historical origins of the gallery to important current debates taking place around art and public engagement, the climate emergency, race equality and decolonisation, and the value of the arts in education – this book sets out the role of art and artists in imagining and shaping our collective future.
It is also a love letter to the museum, from a sector leader who is at the forefront of the cultural conversation today.
About Maria Balshaw
Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate, a role she has held since June 2017. Previously, she was Director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester; Director of Manchester City Galleries; and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council. Maria is Chair of the National Museum Directors' Council and is a Trustee of the Factory International Board in Manchester. She is also a member of the Women Leaders in Museums Network and a member of the Bizot group of leading global museums. In 2015, she was awarded a CBE for services to the arts.