MoCA CT features expansive Connecticut Industry artwork by Michael Borders

(L) Michael Borders, Fairfield County Industry, (2004), Oil and acrylic on canvas, 10 x 5 feet

The Museum of Contemporary Art Connecticut launched Michael Borders: Connecticut Industry on August 13. The exhibition, which is part of the larger Looking for History show, remains on view through Sunday, November 15.

The centerpiece of the show is a monumental mural composed of eight painted panels, each measuring five by ten feet. Read from bottom to top, the artwork presents a sweeping narrative of the state’s eight counties, tracing development from early Indigenous presence to industrial and technological expansion.

Borders spent over three years conducting research at local historical societies and chambers of commerce, followed by more than two decades of painting. His compositions incorporate specific Indigenous leaders, settlers, workers, inventors, and tools associated with regional labor.

To help viewers navigate the detailed compositions, a gallery guide and numbered panels assist in identifying specific figures, places, and historical references. MoCA CT will host an opening reception for the exhibition on Thursday, September 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The exhibition highlights a five-decade career for the Bloomfield resident, whose work spans public murals, portraiture, and commercial illustration across Connecticut. Programming for the show includes a community conversation with Borders on Thursday, November 5, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.