Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways

Mystic Museum of Art’s summer 2026 exhibition, Luxe CT: Velvet Mills to Modern Runways, traces the significance and evolution of textiles in this region. From the precolonial period to the present day, the exhibition takes inspiration from the velvet industry in southeastern Connecticut. In partnership with Historic Stonington, Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, Mystic Seaport Museum, and Studio Art Quilt Associates, CT Region, visitors will encounter wide-ranging examples of historic and contemporary beadwork, embroidery, quilts, velvet, and fashion on loan and pulled from MMoA’s own holdings.

Luxe CT untangles how luxury is constructed and changes over time, from community-based practices to industrial production. The objects presented hold rich records of labor, immigration, and cultural identity and carry symbolism, continuity, and invention across the ages. In conversation with these themes, the exhibition features selections by fashion designers with Connecticut ties, including Xarea Lockhart, Toriana Sauro, Christian Siriano, and Peter Som, all providing vibrant, living examples of how material culture continues to define, reshape, and transform systems of value today.

On view June 26-October 11, 2026. Public programs, workshops, and other events will run throughout the exhibition.