A special weekend art exhibition, Wilfrid Dantis: Images of Haiti, will open on Friday at the Vineyard Haven library with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. The show will be hanging on Friday, July 9, from 1 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, July 10, from 10 to 4 p.m.

Wilfrid Dantis, a native of Haiti, will show and discuss his vibrant paintings of his homeland.

The library’s special programs coordinator Betty Burton traveled with her family to Haiti in 2003. While they were there, Mr. Dantis acted as guide and protector and soon became a family friend, she said. After the earthquake, the Burton-Sundman family tried to reach Mr. Dantis, who at the time was in Naples, Fla., trying to earn money for his 11-member family in Port-au-Prince.

Several families of the Island community began to support Mr. Dantis and his family, who needed $700 to rent a house for a year. After this goal was reached, extra money was used for food and water.

For more details about the exhibit, call Ms. Burton at 508-696-4211, extension 16.