Uni duo judged “Women to watch”

Two women from The University of Manchester are among the country's 50 "Women to watch”, after a vote by a distinguished panel of judges for the Government funded Cultural Leadership Programme. Maria Balshaw - Director of the Whitworth Art Gallery and Ruth Daniel, who runs the In Place of war network were chosen by a panel including Choreographer Wayne McGregor, broadcaster Jenni Murray and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah. They received the awards at a special CLP reception in at the Royal Institute of British Architects last week in front of prominent figures from the media, arts and politics. Dr Balshaw, who manages 55 staff and an annual turnover of £3 million was appointed as Director of the Whitworth Art Gallery in June 2006. She has an academic background, publishing books and essays on African-American urban culture, gender, and visuality and visual cultures of urban regeneration. In 2002 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and in 2004 a Fellow of the inaugural Clore Cultural Leadership Programme. She said: "I'm delighted to be selected as one of the inaugural Women to Watch, a huge honour having thrived during my career on the support and encouragement from other extraordinary women in our sector.