Liz Collins

Liz Collins is an artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Collins is recognized for her artwork involving fabric and textiles as well as the fashion label she developed.

Liz Collins graduated with her undergraduate degree in textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991 and then completed her M.F.A., also at RISD, in 1999.

After receiving her M.F.A., Collins spent the next several years developing her own knitwear company until 2003. Recognized for its innovative design, Collins developed a patent for her specialized technique of interweaving and assembling different materials to construct her garments. The label gained popularity, celebrity recognition, and media coverage.Once the fashion label closed, Collins then returned to RISD to teach textiles as an associate professor, until 2013. She has also taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Moore College of Art, Pratt Institute, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and Parsons School of Design.

Knitting Nation

As a response to the fashion industry she previously worked within, Collins launched Knitting Nation. KN was a multi-part installation and performance project that spanned the course of several years and was globally spread. The objective of this work was to bring awareness to topics such as sexuality and gender within fashion, labor, and the issue of sustainable practices through immersive, visual means.

Other work

Other artwork by Liz Collins incorporates recycled textiles from previous art pieces, abstract designs, and structural components like poles and fences. These pieces typically entertain a diverse color palette, and explore themes such as human interconnectedness and cosmic energy. Her work exists on a plane of varying size such as intimate, fibrous wall hangings to life size installations that transport the audience to a temporary alternative universe.

Solo exhibitions

• 2005: Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee
• 2006: RISD, Providence, Rhode Island
• 2008: RISD Museum, Providence, Rhode Island
• 2011: Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
• 2011: Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
• 2012: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City
• 2016: Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York City – featuring a time-based performance and installation

United States Artist Target Fellowship, 2006

MacColl Johnson Fellowship, 2011

Liz Collins has public collections in museums and gallery spaces across the country, which include the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, NY, the FIT Museum in New York, NY, the RISD Museum in Providence, RI, the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, the Leslie-Lohmann Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York, NY, and the School of Art Institute of Chicago and the Fashion Resource Center in Chicago, IL.