Long Island’s Early Textile Industry Explored In New Exhibitions

Preservation Long Island (PLI) and the Huntington Historical Society (HHS) have announced “Blanket Statements: Long Island’s Early Weaving Industry,” and “From Farm to Fabric: Early Woven Textiles on Long Island,” a two-venue exhibition focusing on Long Island‘s early textile industry set to open to the public on Thursday, May 25th.

The HHS’s exhibition, “From Farm to Fabric: Early Woven Textiles on Long Island,” curated by Emily Werner, looks closely at the materials, technology, and design of woven textiles produced in the home and in small-scale professional workshops across Long Island from the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century.

PLI’s exhibition, “Blanket Statements: Long Island’s Early Weaving Industry,” curated by Lauren Brincat, explores the social, political, and economic contexts of early industrial weaving and coverlet production on Long Island during the first half of the nineteenth century. Blanket Statements combines recent coverlet acquisitions with furniture, maps, and paintings from PLI’s collection in addition to key loans from the HHS and the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum.

Exhibition Programs and Events

Preservation Long Island will host a Exhibition Opening Reception on Thursday, May 25th from 4 to 6 pm. Self-guided tours of the exhibit will be available Thursdays to Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm. A curator-led tour will be held on Saturday, July 8th at 11 am.

All Preservation Long Island hosted programs will take place at Preservation Long Island’s Exhibition Gallery located at 161 Main St. in Cold Spring Harbor, unless otherwise specified. For more information or to register, visit the PLI website.

The Huntington Historical Society will host Talks over Tea with Huntington Historical Society Curator Emily Werner at Conklin Barn at 2 High Street in Huntington on June 27, 2023 from 2 to 4 pm.

Loom weaving demonstrations will be held throughout the summer at the Arsenal on the old Town Green near the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue in Huntington. For more information or to register, visit the HHS website.