Reversed horizontal Spur logo.
Artistic rendering of Sandra Fettingis and Tomorrow's Food.

Tomorrow’s Food

Sandra Fettingis

Location: Terra lobby

The shapes and colors in this artwork were inspired by wheat as it’s growing. The bottom of the sculpture is green with small leaves. As you follow the sculpture up to the ceiling the leaves become larger and more golden.

The orientation of this artwork references the vertical farm movement, or the practice of growing crops in vertical containers instead of in the ground. This practice can be seen in the Terra greenhouse. Can you think of any benefits to vertical farming?

Art piece of green and yellow geometric leaf shapes.
Close up of an art piece of green and yellow geometric leaf shapes.
Art piece of green and yellow geometric leaf shapes as seen from below.
Close up view of green geometric leaf shapes that make up a hanging art installation.
A person on a scaffold installs an art piece of green and yellow geometric leaf shapes.
A person on a scaffold installs an art piece of green and yellow geometric leaf shapes.

About the artist

Known for her iconic, abstract geometric style, artist Sandra Fettingis creates timeless, site-specific patterns for public art projects such as murals and installations. Her elegant, harmonious works seamlessly integrate art with the surrounding built and natural environments. She combines a careful study of a location and its social fabric with creative problem solving to generate meditative yet dynamic patterns with a keen attention to detail and impeccable craftsmanship. 

Born and raised in Chicago, Sandra studied at the Art Center College of Design and earned a BA from Columbia College. Since 2007, when she painted her first mural in Chicago, she has created more than 40 large-scale artworks for public and private collections. Sandra’s award-winning installation for the Colorado Convention Center, I know that you that I know, completed in 2014, propelled her into the public-facing projects she makes today. Her projects include extensive large-scale murals as well as glass windscreens for RTD’s A and EFR Lines, in addition to a four-story tall, integrated LED and aluminum wall sculpture for Denizen Denver. Her work has been exhibited locally at the Denver Art Museum, nationally as part of several mural festivals, and internationally at the Sharjah Festival in the United Arab Emirates. Sandra has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Huffington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Design Milk, Hyperallergic, and Modern in Denver. She has earned grants from both the City of Chicago and Denver and is an alumnus of RedLine, Denver’s artist residency program.

Over the course of her career, Sandra has worked with dozens of collaborators to execute her projects indoors and out. Her extensive network includes lasting relationships with artists, curators, fabricators, installers, architects, and other experts. She leverages this network to achieve more expansive, advanced, and visionary projects that integrate technology and re-envision the role of art in public spaces both in and outside of Colorado. She continues to push the visual language of abstraction through geometry and line, and remains especially passionate about the impact and influence public art has on a community before, during, and after installation.

Instagram Link

KAREN SCHLATTER

Director, Colorado Water Center

Karen Schlatter was appointed director of the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University in 2025, after joining the Center as associate director in 2023. Schlatter brings academic, nonprofit, and public sector experience in managing complex water challenges with a deep commitment to building partnerships and the ability to engage in conversations across Colorado’s water community. She joined CSU from the University of Florida Water Institute where her work included facilitating multi-stakeholder/academic teams to achieve shared goals around water management through collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Prior to her role at UF, she served as associate director of the Colorado River Delta Program at the Sonoran Institute, where she focused on building cross-sector and international partnerships to support large-scale ecological restoration, effective binational water management, and community engagement in the Colorado River Delta region. Schlatter earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from McGill University and a Master of Science in environmental studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. She served as an agricultural extension volunteer in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

Wave art

TOM VILSACK

Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation

Effective March 1, 2025, Thomas J. Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, will become the first Chief Executive Officer for the World Food Prize Foundation. In this new role, Governor Vilsack will focus on expanding the Foundation’s global network, and will further position the Foundation as a leader in addressing global food and nutrition insecurity, continuing his lifetime of public service.

In 1998, he became the first Democrat to be elected as the Governor of Iowa in more than 30 years. During his two terms as Governor, he created an $800 million, 10-year economic development incentive program—the Iowa Values Fund. His administration worked with schools, medical providers, businesses, faith-based organizations and other entities to expand healthcare coverage to more than 90,000 previously uninsured children.

He became the 30th and 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture, from 2008-2017 and 2021-2025, respectively. Only five people in U.S. history have served in the Cabinet longer, and during his tenures, the United States Department of Agriculture set records for U.S. agricultural exports and provided food assistance to millions of Americans. He helped expand food and nutrition access through summer feeding programs for children and additional support for fruit and vegetable purchases through the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. As Secretary, he worked to develop new and superior markets for small and mid-sized farms, allowing those operations to remain viable and in turn, strengthening and growing rural communities.

Governor Vilsack has long been connected to the World Food Prize Foundation, having served on both the Council of Advisors and the Board of Directors. His insights and acumen were vital in shaping our mission and initiatives. His leadership and experience will be instrumental in expanding the Foundation’s international reach and continuing the mission of elevating innovations and inspiring action to sustainably increase the quality, quantity and availability of food for all.

Wave art
CSU Spur is turning 2! Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

It’s our anniversary!

It’s our anniversary! CSU Spur has been fully open to the public, sharing hands-on, family-friendly activities around food, water, and health for two years. Join us on Saturday, Jan. 11, for 2nd Saturday activities, including desserts, a mariachi performance, face painters, horses on treadmills, veterinarians in surgery, scientists in labs, and more. The celebration is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and CSU Spur will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; no registration required, all public activities are free.

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is presented by Canvas Credit Union.

We’ll see you Saturday!

2nd Saturday at CSU Spur is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday (May 9), and this month, the theme is Spur in Bloom. Join us for flower-themed arts and crafts, horse demonstrations, interactive activities focused on topics like sustainability and gardening, the return of the Market at the Center, and more!

Explore 2nd Saturday activities