Melissa McDonough-Borden, an Edwardsville native,graduated from EHS and continued to the University of Illinois. There, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Painting and Drawing. The arts took her to Chicago where she spent time working in art galleries, museums, painting murals, while working toward her post-baccalaureate certificate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Melissa worked with a backdrop company during this time whose work was expansive in commercials, before digital creation was so active. Additionally, she worked with a crew on-location painting decorative faux effects in upscale apartments, office buildings, and even on a truck. 

Painting directly on the walls always interested Melissa, for in high school she painted a big mural of a rose on her bedroom wall. The houses she lived in were always under construction as her father was an architect and her mother a designer (non-licensed), and her uncles also architects or construction workers. There was always a sense of recreating, new-fashioning, and always a design or architecture magazine on the coffee tables. During the reconstruction of an area behind a built-in cabinet, her uncle offered her the wall spaces to create upon. It was years later that her parents found the hidden ‘masterpieces’ while repainting or wallpapering the room.

Even prior to these early works, Melissa recalls one year in her childhood home, the boiler heater blew and spewed blackened soot all over everything. The white walls all needed repainting, which she ‘helped’ with. Unfortunately, the family had painted acrylic paint over oil paint and the walls soon started to peel. The next season was spent peeling away large sheets of the clean, white, acrylic paint from the walls. This experience was much like the old practice of trying to peel large sheets of skin from your siblings sunburnt backs in the summertime. Satisfying and horrifying all at once. 

After marrying Charles Borden of Borden Dental Arts, the couple moved into a geodesic dome in Winslow, Arizona. The four acres of desert also had an old western storefront building on the property that was used as the studio. Melissa taught Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, and Art History to a mostly Native American student base at Northland Pioneer College. During this time Melissa also worked as the resident artist with John Pugh, a trompe l'oeil artist, who was invited to paint the “Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona” mural, the most visited tourist site on route 66. She recalls painting the shadows of the transoms of the faux windows and really thinking about where the sunlight would hit the structure if they were real stone and brick. Considering the placement of the figures in the window with John and debating the eagle painted above. This experience was the first site-specific, public work Melissa had worked on. 

One of her personal studies during this time was the appealing nature of color. Influenced by the giant landscapes of sky and red dirt, she experimented and considered the physical satiative response to colors. One simple project, she selected a color and tried to eat food only of that color for 3 days. Creating a unique challenge investigating personal relationship to color. This fun experiment led to an artwork titled ‘Blue Room’. Constructing large scale canvases that were used as the walls of this ‘room’, Melissa painted big blue sky scapes, painted all the furniture and room decor, which included a bowl of fruit, all the same color blue. A video was created of the unique space which considered the role of color, specifically sky blue. This special time in the west allowed for her art expression to flourish being inspired by exploring, hiking, and camping all over the Grand Canyon area, and immersion in the rich artistic culture of the area.

While teaching for the community college, Melissa worked with Hopi and Navajo students in painting, drawing, ceramics and English as a second language. This experience had a profound effect, where she found she was learning more from the students than maybe she was teaching them. Art is a part of their culture, creating and making things such as pots, rugs, and sculpture comes naturally and is ingrained in their societal practices. 

Returning to Chicago was a big cultural shock in terms of the spaces, sounds, and congestion. Melissa attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to pursue a master’s degree of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing. The artworks created focused on the layering of gestures with an interplay of light and spatial representation in large-scale installations and mixed media paintings. One of the most entertaining memories from this time was a show ‘Art Stars’. Art students from SAIC, Northwestern, and other Chicago art schools paid for a block of hotel rooms downtown, filling each room with installations and artwork, artists were able to utilize the space and create something site specific and sometimes collaborative. Visitors from a local art fair meandered through and asked questions. Melissa’s piece utilized oil pastels to paint on many layered translucent shower curtains on the bathroom shower rod as well as using makeup for painting the mirror. Backlit with a spotlight in the shower, it was as if the viewer were inside the layers of the painting, creating an immersive spatial experience in a small space. It was a unique space and offered a spontaneous exhibition. The contrasts between the southwest and the city fueled her artistic endeavors; traveling has been a great inspiration.

The work for her graduate show dealt with the challenge of the 2 dimensional plane of the canvas. Stretching transparent materials over stretchers, and sewing materials such as monofilament and waxed dental floss Melissa created work reminiscent of 3 dimensional handwriting. Utilizing the previous investigations in gesture and 2D layered space from her BFA she created a series in subtle colors that broke the plane, changing mostly in aesthetic design.

Settling down as active community members in Edwardsville, IL, Charles and Melissa have raised two children, grown a thriving dental practice, and served various local organizations. Following her career path locally, Melissa has taught art for Blackburn College, Lewis and Clark Community College, SWIC, and SIUE. While teaching at Lewis and Clark for 13 years, Melissa built the first online and hybrid classes for the art department and exhibited in instructor’s shows. 

A most memorable visit during this time (2004) was to SIUC to see Melissa’s favorite artist, Robert Irwin lecturing on his work and philosophy. The “Untitled” discs were considered “action paintings” that were to only be viewed in person. NYT: April 2016 (Robert Irwin’s Art Takes New Forms Right Before Your Eyes at the Hirshhorn) ”The action in his version was generated not but the hand of the artist and embodied in frozen strokes of paint, but by the mind and eye of the viewer, approaching art, takin it in and reacting to it in real time….in which the art appears and disappears and takes new forms right before your eyes with every move you make… shifting the emphasis of his art from the psychic encounters to physical ones, from precious objects to environments, places of contemplation….clearing his own ego out of his work, letting everything else, above all the creative attention of the viewer, in.”

Melissa also participated as an active member of the Ed/ Glen Junior Service club for 9 years helping build community projects such as the Township Park playground, holiday house tours, and many community fundraising events. Her talents were often called upon for painting signs and backdrops for all sorts of photo booths and events. However, mostly, her artistic energy was spent with her children cutting paper dolls and finger painting, dressing up, and hosting the most magical birthday parties ever. Their favorite pastime was ‘painting Sundays’. “Being my children’s mother has been the most inspiring and greatest experience of my life. All the while, thanks to my supportive husband who energizes my every activity.”

In 2015, Buzz Spector was teaching an intensive painting at Washington University in St. Louis. Melissa took up this opportunity to again work with her undergraduate professor and take time for painting. This time allowed for participating with active student artists and regenerating the love of painting. Listening to books on yoga during the drive and playing Chinmaya Dunster, meditative music, during studio hours. The work during this time returned to the colors of the sky: golden and blue. These works again utilized the gestural marks of ovals in a layering process. The ovals’ unique ability to dissociate its location and provide an ambiguity in space whether a 2D shape or a 3D circle, on its side in the implied space was the focus of these works and continues to be a major investigation in her work.

In April of 2017, Melissa was appointed as the Executive Director of the Edwardsville Arts Center, previously serving 5 years as a member of the board of directors who developed Art Alive, a live auction entertainment bidding event, and the Edwardsville Art Fair. Bringing together her experiences from working in galleries and museums in Chicago, teaching art for over 25 years, and helping with fundraising projects, Melissa continued the development of the Edwardsville Arts Center into a truly prominent cultural fixture in our town.

As the Executive Director of EAC, Melissa focused on diversifying the organization’s income sources by seeking corporate sponsorships, state and national grants to support the ever-growing programs offered. She initiated internships for high school and college students, created new fundraising efforts, and fostered partnerships with organizations such as District #7 schools and board, the City of Edwardsville, SIUE, and the YMCA. 

COVID

Writing the first grants for the Arts Center in 2018 provided the initiating support stream that allowed EAC to survive and thrive during COVID. The grants awarded to EAC during this time supported our losses and maintained our commitment to the community to inspire youth and adults through classes, exhibits, and cultural events, and provided complete financial recovery from the pandemic. Thankfully, under Melissa’s direction, community connections had been created, nurtured, and strengthened for supporting these trying times. Projects such as Art Out of the Box provided art to children in lockdown in our community, all supported by local businesses and organizations. These cool kits included art projects designed by local artists, all the materials, and instructions to create fun projects at home. Feedback came not only from Edwardsville, but also surrounding communities that these were vital services for children at home. Parents were coming from near and far to pick up these kits for their kids. This program served as a touchstone for many and was immensely gratifying to give back and stay connected.

EAC was completely redeveloped during this time to function completely digitally as a shop, an exhibition space and an educational service. One memorable exhibition during this time, we hosted 30 Korean artists working with calligraphy in their art to a digital exhibition which also included instruction videos and historical information and links pertaining to the art of calligraphy. We connected our community with artists in Korea in this new presentation age. Additionally, EAC further developed its annual Raise a Toast cup show online and presented and sold works from ceramic artists across the country to patrons anywhere in the US. Raise a Toast became an annual and recognizable exhibition which reached many outside our community and stabilized a reputation for our gallery. 

EDUCATION

Her successes include increasing the educational programming by 75%, offering a full range of classes in and out of the classrooms in mediums such as ceramics, painting and drawing, floral design, watercolor, batik, and many more. This range of coursework grew to offer varying levels of experience for students from beginners to advanced practice. EAC maximized the amount of classes possibly to offer in the space and time available under Melissa’s direction. Creating income for artist teachers and cultivating an art engaged community. Classes grew in public interest and developed as a major source of EAC income. Partnering with the YMCA, EAC generated income from summer camps offered to their network and ours. 

Even during COVID, EAC held online classes, fundraising events, and a successful patron of the arts celebration. Free Kids’ Saturday art classes had been a staple for our community prior to the pandemic which pivoted to show online videos of art projects that could be created with simple objects found at home for anyone to access. Later, partnering with the City of Edwardsville, EAC offered Saturday in the park art classes post-COVID.

The annual Patron of the Arts Celebration which recognized someone or some partnership that has contributed to the mission or inspiring art in our community gained recognition during the pandemic when we hosted an online party where friends and family presented words and videos about our selected patron, reaching much beyond our community. The following celebrations outgrew our gallery space and were celebrated with over 250 guests.

Special Exhibitions

As a coordinating participant for Innovations in Textiles exhibitions series which connected 50 St. Louis regional art galleries and museums presenting for the Surface Design associations conference, Melissa developed partnerships with many arts organizations in the region. EAC, as one of the main locations for one of the tours, hosted the Future Tense exhibition of student works in fiber. In addition, EAC hosted a panel of speakers for ‘Figuring it out: Truths about Being Successful’. Our representation during this national conference strengthened and increased our valuation to the community locally and beyond.

Under Melissa's direction, EAC held 8 exhibitions annually that hosted over 200 professional artists, and 300 students a year. One particular show that gained huge popularity, the annual Edwardsville Middle School’s exhibitions hosted over 600 guests opening night. Another notable exhibition following COVID, EAC hosted artist and SIUE professor of ceramics Joseph Page, who turned the gallery into one large colorful installation referencing the video game Mario kart. What a way to usher in the community with this fun filled, selfyscape to engage. There was a team of 6 college students helping to install each day playing funky music and pushing ride-on clouds. EAC also hosted exhibitions in satellite spaces such as Edwardsville City Hall, the Edwardsville Library, YMCA, Glen Carbon City buildings, and in some local businesses.

The Edwardsville Art Fair has become a marquee event in our town. Melissa fine tuned the budget to maximize profits and built the reputation of this event beyond the attention from our community and was recognized as the best local art fair 2 years in a row during her direction. Due to the marketing plans and publications created for each fair, recognizing sponsors and artists, organizing entertainment and over 4,000 hours of volunteer time throughout the event weekend, Edwardsville Art Fair has been a huge accomplishment. It continues to bring in quality professional artists who leave happy having participated. During Melissa’s direction, artists’ sales increased by $100,000 for 3 consecutive years, reaching sales of over $450,000. In a very short time, this event quickly grew, benefiting boosted tax revenue for the City and bringing major attention to EAC programming and providing the largest attended event in our community.

Melissa nurtured blooming partnerships and made available abundant opportunities and new programming to the EAC for the 10 years of her participation and direction. EAC has been recognized as a beacon to other arts organizations and fair coordinators that seek guidance on their projects and management. EAC has never experienced such a high standing and visibility in our City, community, and region. Additionally, Melissa established EAC as a viable arts organization in the stream for state and federal funding. Melissa spent 10 years building and developing the not for profit organization, leveraging all aspects of time and energy in an effort to cultivate an art center that serves the needs of the community, as well as her own as an artist and employee.

 Her goals as the director were to make art exploratory experiences available to all while supporting job opportunities and growth for artists. She strives to live an actively creative life as an artist and secure a place where values of cultural growth and art appreciation can thrive.

Today’s a great day to paint. Recently reinvigorating her art practice for personal fulfillment and participation as an artist in the world, Melissa has been revisiting past work and creating opportunities to be discoverable. Working with artist and coach Nancy Murphy-Spicer has deepened the commitment and investigation into art making, sharing, and enjoying the practice. Melissa’s work has always focused on the phenomenon of seeing, the experience of ambiguity and surprise, spatial construction and gestural mark making, as well as beauty. Judy Pfaff is another artist that has been a constant inspiration to Melissa’s work. This past March, Pfaff lectured at the local Principia College and shared her experiences developing into the large-scale installation artist she is famed for today. Another major infusion of inspiration, it was wonderful to see how practical and down to earth Pfaff talked about art production and process. She takes the challenge to learn whatever interests her and is not intimidated by space, her work is ‘full-throttle and anarchistic”. These women have been empowering to Melissa as an artist and woman.

After spending the past 30 years teaching art in colleges, working in museums and galleries, and directing a local not for profit art center, I am focusing on the joy of making art of my own. I value my past experiences in the art world and am putting my knowledge to work for myself.  

The most recent work has been focused on revisiting the transparent canvases that leave their own shadows behind the work. As well as wire sculptures of volumetric form, looping wire, much in the familiar to Richard Tuttle (seeing his work at the Pulitzer St. Louis in the 2015 show: Calder Lightness, Richard Tuttle Wire Pieces, Fred Sandback 64 Three-part Pieces). “The work asks us to care about the details of our daily life, the environment, and to notice things. And by noticing, we care. By noticing the details of the space we experience caring…It should make us all a little bit more attuned from the experience.” (Richard Shiff, speaking on Richard Tuttle Wire Pieces.)

Additionally, Melissa has made small constructions and then painted that work on paper, investigating the translation and experience of interacting/ viewing the work. This interest of displaying the translated experience, that there is the construction, the painting of the construction, and then often the painting goes off the page and onto the wall, then creating its own existence on the wall as well. There is something to investigate there. The translation of the wire sculptures via drawing and then that drawing then showing shadows of itself onto the wall as well, interests me. There is a performative aspect to this work…however I am not exactly sure what’s being said except that it is recording my perception of viewing the work via drawing.