"Coming from Trot," a Currier & Ives print, exemplifies the exhibit "The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives" showing through Oct. 23 at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, New Castle.

NEW CASTLE — The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts is exhibiting "The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives" through Oct. 23 in the main galleries.

Originally planned to correspond with the opening of the Valley View Downs racetrack, which is now on hold, the exhibit provides historical context behind the sport using about 33 prints by Currier & Ives, storyboards, teacher guides and lesson plans.

Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) and James Ives (1824-1895) were themselves avid about the sport; thus one in 10 of the famed printmakers more that 1 million prints depicted a trotting horse.

Harness racing, or trotting as it was originally termed, was one of America's first pastimes in the 19th century. It consists of a special breed of horse, called a standardbred, pulling a two wheeled cart, called a sulky, around a track that is typically one mile long.

Curated by The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y., the exhibit uses art to explore the sport, looking at the milestones in harness racing history, as well as significant sires and bloodlines.

Exhibiting alongside the Currier & Ives in the Blair Sculpture Walkway Gallery are the works called "Regression" by Ian Thomas of Butler.Thomas spent his formative years in the foothills of Western Pennsylvania on the family farm. It was in this lush and rugged setting that he honed his tendencies toward the arts.With a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Slippery Rock University, Thomas went to Texas Tech University where he earned a master's degree in fine arts in ceramics.His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be found in the permanent collections of Las Cruces Museum of Fine Art in New Mexico, Houston Baptist University in Texas and Paducah Art Alliance in Kentucky, among others.He has held numerous workshops at universities and museums such as the Carnegie Museum of Fine Arts and Jingdezhen Ceramic Institution in Jingdezhen, China. Additionally, he is on the Butler City Redevelopment Committee and is an active member of the National Council for the Education of Ceramics.A public reception for these exhibits will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Hoyt. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.Regular gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.Guided and school tours are available by calling 724-652-2882, and courses will be offered in using printmaking techniques.While admission is free, donations to support exhibitions are accepted.