Liz Williamson

Elizabeth Blanche Williamson (9 June 1949 – 15 August 2024), better known as Liz Williamson, was an Australian textile artist. She founded education in textiles at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney.

Early life and education Williamson was born in Carisbrook, Victoria on 9 June 1949. At the University of Melbourne she completed a bachelor of economics and commerce degree (1967–1970).

She took a weaving course in Castlemaine in 1977, which led her to study for a bachelor degree in textile design at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (now RMIT University).

Career Williamson created her first piece of weaving using wool from Lochinver, the farm in Victoria where she grew up. The wool was spun by hand and coloured with plant dye. This practice underpinned her artistic career. and the 1998 International Lace Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Under her leadership, her students contributed artworks to decorate the Sydney Children's Hospital in 1998. Ten years later, College students undertook a project to repurpose street banners that had promoted City of Sydney events to create new items, rather than landfill.

In 2007 she was commissioned to design fabric to upholster furniture and cover cushions for Government House, Sydney.

Her work is held in the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Williamson died on 15 August 2024.