Tal Fitzpatrick (b. 1988, Israel) is an Australian artist, craftivist and researcher based on the unceded lands of the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh language region. She holds a PhD in Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts (2018), a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours from Griffith University (2010) and is best known for her artistic and academic work in the field of craftivism.
As a socially engaged artist working primarily with textiles Tal’s projects deploy craft as a medium for activism, advocacy and as a tool for encouraging participation in the everyday practice of democracy. Her individual and collaborative projects have engaged hundreds of people by deploying the gentle and familiar nature of cloth to tackle challenging issues such as gender-based violence, human rights violations and feminine rage.
Tal’s practice is strongly influenced by her paternal grandmother Australian artist Dawn Fitzpatrick (1922-2021) whose figurative textile wall hangings shaped her approach to creating her appliqué quilted wall-hangings and banners.
Alongside collaborators Kate Just and Stephanie Dunlap, Tal has led several global craftivism projects including the Incinerator Gallery's People's Choice Award winning project the @Covid19quilt (2020) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Quilt Project (2016-2018) which was exhibited at the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) at Old Parliament House, Canberra and raised $26,200 AUD for UNHCR.
In 2024 Tal was named highly commended in the 2024 Wollumbin Art Award and completed a six-month artist residency as part of HOTA’s ArtKeeper program. In 2025 her collaboration with artist Melissa Spratt ‘The City Speaks Softly’, developed as part of the Generate GC development program, is being presented by both Storyfest and BLEACH* festivals. Meanwhile, her ‘Changemakers: Making a difference’ exhibition presented by MoAD is touring to regional centers across Australia.
Tal has received grants from the EGC Art Fund, Creative Victoria, City of Melbourne, the Creative Suburbs Grant and the Regional Arts Development Fund through the City of Gold Coast and Arts Queensland. Her work has been exhibited in museums, galleries and art spaces in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Perth, Wagga Wagga, the Blue Mountains, Swan Hill, the Gold Coast and abroad in Sweden, Canada and America.
Tal’s academic work has been included in various publications including Care Ethics and Craft (J. Milner & G. Coombs, 2022) and Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussycats (H. Mandell, 2020). Her self-published works include a craftivism handbook titled Craftivism: A Manifesto/Methodology (2018) and a series of catalogues that document her craftivism projects. Her art is also featured in the book retrospective of Australian feminist artists 'Doing Feminism' by Anne Marsh (2021).
In addition to her work as an artist and researcher Tal has accumulated a diverse range of experiences working in the arts, non-profit and disability sectors, including as a project manager at Volunteering Queensland, a peer assessor for Arts Queensland and as a disability support worker.
Bio photos by Lachlan Woods, images above courtesy of MoAD
