Looking for History: MoCA\CT's New Exhibition Explores Memory, Landscape, and the American Story
Rick Shaefer, Ellen Harvey, and Michael Borders question how history is created, remembered, and reimagined. On view through November 15, 2026.
Looking for History at the Museum of Contemporary Art \ Connecticut (MoCA\CT) presents Rick Shaefer, Ellen Harvey, and Michael Borders in solo exhibitions that examine how the nation’s past echoes through the present. On view through November 15, the show marks the 250th anniversary of the United States through work that engages memory, identity, and place.
The exhibition is anchored by Rick Shaefer’s allegorical series Colossi, monumental charcoal drawings displayed together for the first time. The artist’s expansive landscapes are interrupted by impenetrable walls and ominous towers that prioritize self-glorification, technological advancement, or imperialism over efforts to achieve unity. From afar, the compositions evoke Old Master etchings; at close range, their surfaces reveal a contemporary sensibility. He invites viewers into meditations on the physical and metaphorical boundaries that define our nation and, increasingly, our planet.
While the recently completed Colossi series depicts barriers, Shaefer’s Water Crossing portrays the boat journey taken by refugees hoping to reach a welcoming haven. His evocative series Liberty Dismantled confronts the slow unraveling of the Mother of Exiles as a metaphor for our country’s eroding commitment to refuge and belonging. Shaefer’s meticulous linework invites contemplation on the widening gap between America’s founding ideals and the decisions shaping our future.
On view through August 2, Ellen Harvey's The Disappointed Tourist includes more than 200 postcard-style paintings from her ongoing award-winning international project, inspired by places that no longer exist. From August 13 until the exhibition’s close, Michael Borders' Connecticut Industry fills the gallery with an immersive mural that chronicles Connecticut's industrial history and traces the evolution of the state's landscapes, industries, and innovations.
Together, the exhibition offers three distinct yet interconnected perspectives on America’s past, present, and potential future.
Visit mocact.org to learn more.
