Maria Balshaw

As the world continues to adapt to the consequences of a global pandemic that has disrupted social life as we have known it, museums continue to experience unprecedented disruption and change. The sector has endured a nearly two-year period where they were closed to the public. Many also discovered new audiences and new purpose, through global digital connection, through renewed community purpose and through the revitalised interest from a public hungry for social connection and cultural inspiration. At the same time, there has been growing debate and dissent over what museums are for, who they speak to and the histories, objects and ideas they are tasked with holding – all taking place within a public sphere that is more dynamic and volatile than ever before.

Taking a wide-ranging look at museums themselves, but also the dialogue around the responsibilities of our public institutions, Maria Balshaw explores some of the critical challenges and opportunities for art and culture at this point in the twenty-first century. Moving from the historical origins of the gallery to the way in which art and artists can imagine and shape our collective future, the publication will also connect with important debates taking place around art and the climate emergency, race equality and decolonisation, and the value of the arts in education.

It is also a love letter to the museum, from a cultural leader who is at the forefront of the conversation today.

Why Museums Matter

Gathering of Strangers

Amy Tobin

Lucinda Gosling

Hilary Robinson

The Art of Feminism charts the birth of the feminist aesthetic and its development over two centuries that have seen profound and fast- paced change in women's lives across the globe. Includes over 350 remarkable artworks, ranging from political posters and graphics to stunning and provocative pieces of painting, sculpture, textiles, craft, performance, digital and installation art. The works included begin with poster images produced by the Suffrage Atelier in the nineteenth century, moving on to developments of both World Wars before arriving at the 'birth' of feminist art in the 1960s.

Images that Shaped the Fight for Equality

The Art of Feminism

A provocative revision of African-American literary history, foregrounding gender, sexuality and class in writings by Black American men and women.

Urban Aesthetics in African-American Literature

Looking For Harlem

Jonathan Watkins

Colm Tóibín

Mary Griffiths

Whitworth Art Gallery

One of Britain's most acclaimed contemporary artists, Cornelia Parker's work invites the viewer to witness the transformation of ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary.

Maria Balshaw

Books

Your next favorite book is out there