Join artist Michael Borders and independent curator and artist Richard Klein, former Exhibitions Director of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, for a lively conversation exploring the vision and process behind Borders’ ambitious Connecticut Industry mural.

Joining the discussion will be Paul S. Lavoie, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Innovation at the University of New Haven and Connecticut’s former Chief Manufacturing Officer; Catherine Egan, Senior Office Manager at Bevin Bells in East Hampton; Sam Kusack, Founder and President of Kammetal in Naugatuck; and Gena Wirth, Design Principal and Partner at SCAPE, representing Manresa Wilds.

Over more than three years of research and twenty-five years of painting, with work still ongoing, Borders immersed himself in the history of the state, visiting historical societies and chambers of commerce across all eight Connecticut counties. The result is a richly layered composition that traces the industries shaping Connecticut’s economy from colonial times to the present, while honoring the people whose labor and ingenuity built its foundation.

As we continue to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, this conversation will consider the role of preservation—of knowledge, craft, and industrial legacy—in shaping both past and present. Borders’ mural itself becomes an act of preservation, capturing the ingenuity, resourcefulness, and problem-solving spirit often described as “Yankee ingenuity.” How are these values carried forward today, particularly in an era of rapid technological change? And in what ways do contemporary Connecticut industries continue, adapt, or reinvent these traditions?

This event is free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of the CORA Foundation.