The Connecticut Industry Panorama

Bloomfield Native Michael Borders To Unveil “The Panorama of Connecticut Industry” Mural This May

The Town of Bloomfield Public Arts Commission is excited to announce and honored to host a one-man show of Michael Borders’ epic mural “The Panorama of Connecticut Industry” each weekend of the month of May 2025. 

A Bloomfield native, Borders’ exhibit will be on display in the barn and in the Oliver Filley House at La Salette Open Space Park in Bloomfield from 12 pm – 4 pm Saturdays and Sundays on the following dates: May 3-4, May 10-11, May 17-18 and May 24-25.  The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The unique exhibition space creates a special backdrop, almost as if by design created to show off Borders’ work. With enthusiastic support and help from Ironwood Community Partners and multiple town departments, the Public Art Commission is excited to introduce Borders’ creative genius to the wider community.

The mural features eight 5-by-10 foot panels, each of which depicts the historic, topographical, social and industrial aspects of each county in Connecticut. It is both an abstract and realistic depiction of Connecticut’s peoples and industries and how they are interconnected. Over the course of several years Borders studied the details of the state’s major areas of settlements to learn about how certain places adapted to “what was intrinsic to them,” like iron in northwestern Connecticut, and fishing, boat building and maritime endeavors along the Connecticut shoreline. The mural also depicts the products and methods through which power was transmitted to the mills and factories that made the products possible. 

         Whether you’re young or old, an art, social studies or history student or just looking for something fascinating and out of the ordinary to do – this is an exhibit you won’t want to miss. It is quite simply, a stunning achievement of epic proportions.

For a sneak peek and to see a video of Borders’ mural, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2WQbj-jTo

About Michael Borders

Michael Borders has for over 50 years, 40 of them as a Bloomfield CT resident, been occupied creating murals, illustrations, formal and informal portraits and the production of original works of art for institutions and individuals. He has been influenced by artists including Henri Fantin-Latour, Diego Rivera, the Hudson River School artists, Frederick Church and Albert Bierstadt, but also contemporary artists like Aaron Douglas and David Driskell. His murals have been installed on the exterior and interiors of buildings, including universities and churches, night clubs, cafeterias, elementary schools, as well as in homes. His illustrations have been placed on record albums and CD cases, magazines, coloring books and posters. Ministers, judges, teachers, dancers and people from all walks of life have been the subjects of his portraits.

       With most of his time as an artist having been spent in the Hartford area he has said, “Many of my ideas have been stimulated by the history and personalities that have been important to this region. Growing up in Hartford gave me a certain appreciation and perception about what great creative ideas are possible, and I try to convey some of that spirit in my work, beyond the aesthetics.”

His lectures have been hosted at Fisk University, Howard University, The University of Hartford, Trinity College, Southern Connecticut State University, The Slater Museum, and many elementary and secondary schools.