Liz Collins

This groundbreaking volume positions Liz Collins (RISD BFA 1991 | MFA 1999, Textiles) as a singular figure who not only synthesizes fine art, craft, and fashion and textile design, but also fiercely advocates for queer and feminist politics. This book complements the RISD Museum exhibition (July 19, 2025–January 11, 2026), the first major survey of the artist’s work in an American museum.

Collins is known for her radical deployment of fiber, her activism around labor and gender politics, and her exploration of the borderlands between art, design, and craft. Motherlode assembles her work from the late 1990s to now, presenting needlework, drawings, documentation, and large-scale sculpture. Contributors survey her life and career, address her unique relationship to craft and labor, and celebrate vital resonances in her work.

Edited by Kate Irvin with contributions by Glenn Adamson, Julia Bryan-Wilson, Octavia Bürgel, Kate Irvin, Zoe Latta, and Eileen Myles. 

Published in 2025 by the RISD Museum and Hirmer Publishers

160 pages| 125 color plates | 9.65 x 11.22 | softcover | $45