Whitworth Art Gallery Director wins Breakthrough Fund award

Maria Balshaw, Director of The Whitworth Art Gallery at The University of Manchester, has been awarded £260,000 as one of five recipients of the 2010 Paul Hamlyn Foundation Breakthrough Fund. The Breakthrough Fund was launched by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Arts programme with the aim of supporting exceptional 'cultural entrepreneurs'. Cultural entrepreneurs may appear in a range of roles but they each possess a pressing and persuasive vision, a drive and a strong track record of making things happen. The Breakthrough Fund aims to support these individuals in their determination to make a difference to the cultural landscape in which they work. Maria Balshaw joined The Whitworth Art Gallery at The University of Manchester in May 2006. An inaugural Clore Leadership Programme Fellow in 2004/05, her professional background spans Arts Council England West Midlands, Creative Partnerships Birmingham and academic posts at the University of Birmingham and University College Northampton. The grant will, over three years, enable her to conduct research and development as well as provide seed-corn funding for new programming strands that will emerge from the R&D carried out.