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In 1951 Higgs travelled to
England, but returned to New Zealand in 1952 after a car accident. The trauma of her car accident spelled the end of Higgs’ career as a textile designer, and on her return to New Zealand painting became her focus. In the 1950s and 1960s Higgs was a very active member of the
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and in
February 1936 enrolled at the Art School of Wellington Technical College. She did not complete her course in design but was recommended by one of her tutors for a design position at National Distributors Ltd in Wellington, where Higgs undertook lettering and poster design work and learned the
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into a family of artists. Both her great grandfather and her grandfather were highly regarded
Tasmanian landscape painters. Avis’s father, Sydney Higgs, was a well-known Wellington watercolourist who exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Arts between 1921 and 1971. She attended
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1985: Winner of the IBM New
Zealand Fine Arts Award. In 2006 Higgs was awarded the Governor-General’s Art Award for her contribution to New Zealand art, and given a retrospective of her work at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts.
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In
Australia Higgs applied for a role at Sydney firm Silk & Textile Printers, and from 1941 to 1946 she was the company’s head designer. Here Higgs drew on the Sydney environment for her textiles designs, especially nearby
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Higgs returned to New
Zealand in 1948. As in Australia Higgs drew on her surroundings for her work, creating designs based on native plants, flowers, and taonga held at the
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principles of screenprinting. With the outbreak of the Second World War Higgs resigned from
National Distributors and trained as a nurse; however, while on section at
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Following her illness an aunt suggested a convalescent holiday in Sydney, and Higgs resigned from nursing to accept this offer.
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1937: Second place in League of
Nations' national poster design competition for the best poster symbolising peace.
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1945: Commonwealth
Government commendation from the Australian Federal Treasurer and Prime Minister
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1968: Special Merit prize from the
National Bank of New Zealand for watercolour painting.
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128:(21 September 1918 – 14 October 2016) was a New Zealand textile designer and painter.
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1964: Winner of the National Bank of New Zealand Art award for watercolour painting.
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Higgs was inducted into the College of Creative Arts Toi Rauwharangi (
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Plaque with a quote from Avis Higgs in Tinakore Village, Wellington
466:"Life Story - artist and textile pioneer Avis Higgs dies, 98"
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Massey University College of Creative Arts Toi Rauwharangi
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480:"Awards | Avis Higgs | Artist of her time"
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New Zealand textile designer and artist (1918–2016)
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269:) Hall of Fame in 2010, along with ceramicist
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353:"Watercolour History: Artist: Avis Higgs"
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400:"A 92-year-old fashion rock star"
370:"Raising a glass with Avis Higgs"
188:New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts
329:Avis Higgs : joie de vivre
327:Lloyd-Jenkins, Douglas (2000).
192:Wellington Architectural Centre
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436:"Avis Higgs: Textile designer"
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201:In 1999 Higgs was included in
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446:on 19 December 2014
148:Wellington Hospital
126:Avis Winifred Higgs
95:Sydney Hamlet Higgs
35:Avis Winifred Higgs
468:. 30 October 2016.
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174:New Zealand career
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283:The Eighties Show
267:Massey University
203:The Eighties Show
158:Australian career
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45:21 September 1918
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448:. Retrieved
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65:(2016-10-14)
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505:2016 deaths
500:1918 births
450:19 December
409:19 December
404:Stuff.co.nz
380:19 December
277:Exhibitions
250:Ben Chifley
233:Recognition
168:Bondi Beach
53:New Zealand
494:Categories
338:0473067382
299:References
152:diphtheria
138:Wellington
82:Occupation
49:Wellington
41:1918-09-21
25:Avis Higgs
219:Roy Cowan
132:Education
115:avishiggs
102:Relatives
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110:Website
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