The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, in partnership with Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), will hold an opening reception for “Binary Visions: Early Nineteenth Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street” on Saturday, October 16. The event begins with a gallery talk by the exhibition curators from 4 to 5 pm, followed by a reception, 5 to 8 pm.

Jointly organized by the Dorsky Museum and HHS, the exhibition will be open through December 12, and will reopen on January 26 until March 18.

Curated by Brian Wallace (Dorsky Museum) and Leslie LeFevre-Stratton (HHS), in consultation with textile historian and weaver S. Rabbit Goody, this exhibition showcases a group of loom woven bed coverings, examining design elements characteristic of these textiles and tracing the development of local coverlet weaving in the mid-Hudson Valley.

The coverlets embody technical and manufacturing advances that were first made in the mid-Hudson Valley starting in the Eighteenth Century that enabled local weavers †primarily men trained in the carpet weaving industry †to create bed covers of particularly rich and striking designs for their clientele, primarily in rural communities.

“Binary Visions” will focus on a select group of coverlets chosen for their strong graphic appeal, pattern play and optical complexity. Many of these coverlets from the HHS collection have local family provenance, originating in Ulster, Orange and Dutchess Counties. United for the first time in one exhibition, the coverlets will be displayed in groups that emphasize, compare and contrast formal design elements and embody several important weaving techniques.

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is at 1 Hawk Drive. For information, 845-257-3245 or www.newpaltz.edu .