Liz Williamson b. 1949

Also known as Elizabeth Blanche Williamson
  • Artist (Weaver),
  • Maker (Weaver),
  • Designer (Textile Artist / Fashion Designer)
Textile artist Liz Williamson began weaving in the late 1970s. Sometimes wearable, sometimes for display, her artworks have been exhibited and collected in Japan, Canada, USA, UK, Europe and Australia.

Williamson is a textile artist who specialises in weaving, and Head of the School of Design Studies at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. She was born in Carisbrook, Victoria.

Williamson makes distinctive woven wraps and shawls on floor looms in her studio in Sydney. For texture, she often interlaces fibres which react differently to washing after weaving. Her research interests focus on fabric that has already been altered through wear and tear, darning and mending.

In 2007, Williamson’s work was included in the Powerhouse Museum exhibition 'Smart works, design and the handmade’. At this time, Williamson had been involved in development projects in Asia, whereby she worked with skilled weavers to recreate traditional textiles to generate income. While advising the Milanangan (‘meeting place’) group of weavers, in West Bengal, she worked with them to convert her own woven works to a production range.

Since 1998, Williamson has also worked on a Jacquard loom at the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles in Canada. This specialist industrial facility offers a mix of digital and hand technologies.

Writers:
Xu, Cathy
De Lorenzo, Catherine
Powerhouse Museum
Date written:
2010
Last updated:
2013