The Samuel Slater Experience hosted artist Richard Moninski on Saturday, September 23.

Moninski fabricates his artwork with acrylics on textiles to depict historical images that reflect the often-complex relations between New England’s native peoples and English colonizers during the 1600s. He juxtaposes indigenous flora and fauna with stylized European decorative arts.  

The artist, a native of  Webster, now lives in Wisconsin.

Mr. Moninski combines his interest in the natural world, pre-colonial history, and patterned textiles to create unusual and dramatic images that “pay tribute to the region where I was born and raised, and to recognize some aspects of cultural continuity that make New England a special place.”

A graduate of Bartlett High School, Mr. Moninski received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UMass Amherst, a Master of Fine Arts degree from SUNY Albany, and studied surface design at the Fashion Institute in New York City. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited nationally.

Awards include a grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation for research in Norway, and artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Ragdale Foundation, the Roger Tory Peterson Institute and Cuttyhunk Island.

An educator with over twenty years of experience, he has employed diverse media and approaches in both his teaching and his studio practice.

The Fabrication exhibit has been made possible by a grant from the Janet Malser Humanities Trust.

Moninski’s exhibit will be on display at the museum during regular hours until October 9. Samuel Slater Experience is open Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 12-4 p.m.