Monica Thompson lives and works in Missoula, Montana. She studied Fibers and Graphic Design at the University of Michigan and Textiles at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC, where she was awarded the Edwina Bringle Scholarship for a student showing excellence in textiles. She has exhibited in solo and juried group exhibitions throughout Montana and the northwest, including the Missoula Art Museum annual auction, the Zootown Art Community Center Mini Show, and the Montana MADE fair. Thompson teaches Elementary art in the Missoula County Public Schools.

“In my work, I am striving for order while simultaneously compelled to create chaos, resulting in tension and harmony between these two seemingly incongruous states of being. Inspired by the purity and austerity of Japanese textile processes, I look to deconstruct and re-assemble these ideas to reflect my Midwestern upbringing. Also at play is the inspiration I find in my current home of Montana and the fauna found within. The result is a deliberate mismatch of themes punctuated by abundant color and rich pattern. Technically, I use hand-dyed cotton and silk, which is then often printed on; purposefully choosing impractical labors with the intention of instilling self-imposed purity in my process.”