About This Event
CORA Foundation Community Conversation with Michael Borders
Thursday November 5, 2026
6-7pm
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.
Learn a little more about the speakers and moderator for this event.
Michael Borders is a Connecticut-based artist whose career spans more than fifty years across murals, illustration, and portraiture. His commissions for institutions and private individuals include portraits and murals ranging from intimate interiors to large architectural works in homes, schools, universities, and churches. His illustrations have appeared on album covers and in magazines, coloring books, and posters. Rooted in the Hartford area, Borders has lectured at universities, museums, and schools, including Fisk University, Howard University, and the University of Hartford. He and his family have lived in Bloomfield for more than forty-five years.
Catherine Egan is Office Manager of Bevin Bros. Manufacturing Co., a family-owned bell manufacturer in East Hampton, Connecticut, established in 1832. As a History & Heritage Presenter, she shares the company’s craftsmanship and its connection to “Belltown, USA.” A University of Connecticut graduate and active community volunteer, she serves as Vice President of the East Hampton Rotary Club and was named its 2026 Rotarian of the Year.
Samuel (Sam) Kusack is the Founder and President of Kammetal. Kusack has over 20 years of experience managing and directing a wide scope of projects in the metal fabrication industry. Mr Kusack commands a comprehensive understanding of the detailed and specialized facets of metal fabrication and project delivery. After graduating from The Cooper Union in 2001 with a BFA in Sculpture he founded Kammetal to serve the ornamental and architectural metal industry. His training in fine art has influenced his ability to gain an acute understanding of purveying the architectural vision at hand. His formal training and experience in metal fabrication provide him with the expertise to select the preferred engineering directive as well as to implement the proper sequencing to execute complex metal assemblies and projects. The company has been built by his attention to detail and quest to provide exemplary work. Mr. Kusack has directed all of the complex large scale projects completed by Kammetal since its inception.
Gena Wirth, RLA, FASLA, is Design Principal and Partner at SCAPE, with 18 years of experience designing public landscapes that connect ecological and cultural priorities. She leads projects ranging from waterfronts and parks to regional trails and climate adaptation plans, including Manresa Wilds in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the Gowanus Lowlands and Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center in Brooklyn. A founding member of the Dredge Research Collaborative, she has also taught at Harvard, Columbia, Syracuse, and Rutgers.
Paul S. Lavoie is Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Innovation and Founding Executive Director of The Elevation Center at the University of New Haven. He brings together industry, education, government, and technology partners to help companies address workforce challenges, adopt new technologies, and grow. Previously, he served as Connecticut’s first Chief Manufacturing Officer, strengthening the state’s manufacturing competitiveness and talent pipeline. His experience spans decades of manufacturing leadership, entrepreneurship, and business development, including senior roles at Carey Manufacturing.
Richard Klein is a Connecticut-based artist, independent curator and writer who serves on the Visual Art Advisory Committee of MoCA/CT. From 1999 to 2022 he was Exhibitions Director at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where he organized over 80 exhibitions, including solo shows of the work of Janine Antoni, Sol LeWitt, Mark Dion, Roy Lichtenstein, Hank Willis Thomas, Brad Kahlhamer, Jack Whitten, and Jessica Stockholder. As an artist, he has exhibited widely, with reviews of his work appearing in Two Coats of Paint, Whitehot Magazine, The New York Times, Sculpture Magazine, Art in America, and The New Yorker. Klein’s essays on art and culture have appeared in Cabinet magazine and have been included in books published by Gregory R. Miller & Co., Damiani, Picturebox, Ridinghouse, Hatje Cantz, and the University of Chicago Press, among others.
Itinerary:
5:30pm — Doors open for guests
5:50pm — Opening remarks from Robin Jaffee Frank
6:00pm — Introduction from Richard Klein + program to begin
6:50pm — Audience Q&A
7:00pm — Program ends
About This Event
CORA Foundation Community Conversation with Michael Borders
Thursday November 5, 2026
6-7pm
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.
Learn a little more about the speakers and moderator for this event.
Michael Borders is a Connecticut-based artist whose career spans more than fifty years across murals, illustration, and portraiture. His commissions for institutions and private individuals include portraits and murals ranging from intimate interiors to large architectural works in homes, schools, universities, and churches. His illustrations have appeared on album covers and in magazines, coloring books, and posters. Rooted in the Hartford area, Borders has lectured at universities, museums, and schools, including Fisk University, Howard University, and the University of Hartford. He and his family have lived in Bloomfield for more than forty-five years.
Catherine Egan is Office Manager of Bevin Bros. Manufacturing Co., a family-owned bell manufacturer in East Hampton, Connecticut, established in 1832. As a History & Heritage Presenter, she shares the company’s craftsmanship and its connection to “Belltown, USA.” A University of Connecticut graduate and active community volunteer, she serves as Vice President of the East Hampton Rotary Club and was named its 2026 Rotarian of the Year.
Samuel (Sam) Kusack is the Founder and President of Kammetal. Kusack has over 20 years of experience managing and directing a wide scope of projects in the metal fabrication industry. Mr Kusack commands a comprehensive understanding of the detailed and specialized facets of metal fabrication and project delivery. After graduating from The Cooper Union in 2001 with a BFA in Sculpture he founded Kammetal to serve the ornamental and architectural metal industry. His training in fine art has influenced his ability to gain an acute understanding of purveying the architectural vision at hand. His formal training and experience in metal fabrication provide him with the expertise to select the preferred engineering directive as well as to implement the proper sequencing to execute complex metal assemblies and projects. The company has been built by his attention to detail and quest to provide exemplary work. Mr. Kusack has directed all of the complex large scale projects completed by Kammetal since its inception.
Gena Wirth, RLA, FASLA, is Design Principal and Partner at SCAPE, with 18 years of experience designing public landscapes that connect ecological and cultural priorities. She leads projects ranging from waterfronts and parks to regional trails and climate adaptation plans, including Manresa Wilds in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the Gowanus Lowlands and Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center in Brooklyn. A founding member of the Dredge Research Collaborative, she has also taught at Harvard, Columbia, Syracuse, and Rutgers.
Paul S. Lavoie is Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Innovation and Founding Executive Director of The Elevation Center at the University of New Haven. He brings together industry, education, government, and technology partners to help companies address workforce challenges, adopt new technologies, and grow. Previously, he served as Connecticut’s first Chief Manufacturing Officer, strengthening the state’s manufacturing competitiveness and talent pipeline. His experience spans decades of manufacturing leadership, entrepreneurship, and business development, including senior roles at Carey Manufacturing.
Richard Klein is a Connecticut-based artist, independent curator and writer who serves on the Visual Art Advisory Committee of MoCA/CT. From 1999 to 2022 he was Exhibitions Director at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where he organized over 80 exhibitions, including solo shows of the work of Janine Antoni, Sol LeWitt, Mark Dion, Roy Lichtenstein, Hank Willis Thomas, Brad Kahlhamer, Jack Whitten, and Jessica Stockholder. As an artist, he has exhibited widely, with reviews of his work appearing in Two Coats of Paint, Whitehot Magazine, The New York Times, Sculpture Magazine, Art in America, and The New Yorker. Klein’s essays on art and culture have appeared in Cabinet magazine and have been included in books published by Gregory R. Miller & Co., Damiani, Picturebox, Ridinghouse, Hatje Cantz, and the University of Chicago Press, among others.
Itinerary:
5:30pm — Doors open for guests
5:50pm — Opening remarks from Robin Jaffee Frank
6:00pm — Introduction from Richard Klein + program to begin
6:50pm — Audience Q&A
7:00pm — Program ends