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Foundational Connections through Art: A Collaboration with Chris Huang

  

In honor of our 20th anniversary, INFRA commissioned a beautiful piece of artwork from Colorado-based artist Chris Huang. Titled “Foundational Connections,” this ink-on-wood piece is meant to represent the interconnectedness of INFRA’s membership while honoring the vital work of pollinators and flowering plants in creating thriving ecosystems.  

INFRA CEO Pat Sheridan was inspired to collaborate with Huang after receiving a card from the Cornucopia Institute that featured his art. “After doing some research, I reached out to him to discuss creating a piece that would not only hang in the INFRA offices, but that would become a representation of INFRA’s mission statement to be featured in our marketing collateral going forward,” Pat says. 

INFRA staff provided ideas and insights for the initial concept sketch, and after more back and forth, the final artwork was complete. The finished piece, described below, is a powerful representation of the INFRA community and our mission statement, “Strengthening our members through collaboration to forge a sustainable future.”

“Foundational Connections” by artist Chris Huang is a stunning blend of surrealism and nature-inspired beauty, bursting with intricate details and vivid storytelling. The upper section of the painting is representative of INFRA’s diverse membership, teeming with life, depicting a rich, cosmic meadow under a deep indigo sky speckled with white stars. The power of INFRA’s community is represented by a variety of pollinators, monarch butterflies, honeybees, and a hummingbird hovering around blooming coneflowers, daisies, and stalks of strawberries. The flowers and leaves rise vibrantly against the dark, starry sky, forming a whimsical garden. 

Below the surface, the painting shifts to reveal an earthy cross-section, where the thick, sinewy roots of members’ businesses twist and grow downward, all converging at a central, symbolic red heart nestled among warm brown stones. The heart, representing INFRA, appears alive, anchoring the life above to a grounding core. Star-like shapes embedded in the soil evoke a cosmic connection, tying the skies above to the roots of the earth below. Finally, the painting is grounded by bricks, representing INFRA member brick and mortar storefronts, the local economic strength that is present in communities across the country.   

The use of organic lines, rich earthy tones, and celestial motifs makes this painting feel both grounded in the natural world and the deeply intangible space that is community—a celebration of interconnectedness that is illustrative of INFRA’s mission, “Strengthening our members through collaboration to forge a sustainable future.” 

"This collaboration with Chris Huang beautifully captures the essence of our mission—each root, bloom, and celestial detail symbolizes the interconnectedness of our community and our commitment to supporting our members and fostering a sustainable future in partnership with them,” Pat says. 

“Foundational Connections” now proudly hangs on our walls at INFRA HQ. If you’re ever in the area and would like to stop by to see it, just let us know!



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