A nationally and internationally renowned printmaker, Marilynn Webb ONZM
(b. 1937) is widely known for her environmental advocacy through the arts. Webb has been recognised for her work as one of Aotearoa New Zealand's leading printmakers, as a feminist artist, a key female figure in the recent history of Māori visual art, and a prominent arts educator.

Webb trained as a teacher in the 1950s, later moving to Dunedin to train as an art advisor under Gordon Tovey's scheme to reintroduce Māori art into New Zealand schools. Webb's art practice developed over the 1960s, alongside teaching and travel in New Zealand and internationally. Since the 1960s Webb has used her work to engage in a consistent and enduring exploration of the landscape. In particular, she has considered the remote and fragile environments found in Central Otago and Southland including Lake Mahinerangi, the Ida Valley, Rakiura/Stewart Island and Fiordland. It is these representations of the isolated or endangered landscape that have provided a framework for Webb’s environmental activism, which is a defining characteristic of her art.

Printmaking has always been a primary focus for Webb and her early career aligned with a rising professionalism in New Zealand printmaking. In 2000 this commitment was acknowledged through her appointment as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Art and Education. In 2010 Webb received an honorary Doctorate from the University of Otago and in 2011 was awarded Ngā Tohu a Tā Kīngi Ihaka, the top honour at Creative New Zealand’s Te Waka Toi Awards in recognition of a lifetime contribution to ngā toi Māori.