Dear Creative Organization or Business Leader,You may have received this email previously requesting your help with getting the word out to your members about a regional survey for Ridgway Space to Create. Because mass emails often get stopped by spam detectors, I am emailing you directly. If you have already sent the below information out to your organization’s participants, THANK YOU! (I would love to know how many you forwarded the survey link to.) If you are learning about this request for the first time (or a reminder is helpful), please read on! The Ridgway community is excited to share with you information and a request regarding our new Space to Create project.  Ridgway Space to Create began in August 2016 when the community was honored to be selected for the southwest region to design and build a Space to Create facility.   The statewide Space to Create Colorado initiative expects to stimulate community and economic development in rural, small town and mountain communities by providing long-term affordable workforce housing and working spaces for creative sector employment.  The state collaboration is led by Colorado Creative Industries and the Boettcher Foundation, along with local organizational partners:  the Telluride Foundation, Region 10, Ouray County Housing Authority, San Miguel Power Association, Weehawken Creative Arts and the Ridgway Chautauqua Society.The nation’s leading nonprofit developer of arts facilities, Artspace, and the Town of Ridgway are working together to propose a unique facility in downtown Ridgway to serve the needs of the region’s creative sector. The term “creative” is defined broadly, such as innovative entrepreneurs, designers, culinary artists, makers, healing artists, craftspeople, and of course artists—those who work in fields that utilize innovation, originality, and imagination. This includes creative organizations and businesses, as well as individual creatives and their families.It is vitally important to learn from a large cross section of creatives in our broad Western Slope region about the true needs of the creative sector. We could use your assistance in reaching out to as many creatives and creative organizations as possible to encourage

participation in a survey designed specifically for this project. The survey will collect anonymous statistical information including such things as: housing needs, workspace and studio-only needs, affordability ranges, interest in specific amenities, design requirements based on household sizes and creative field, and organization/business space needs. Anyone with an interest in creative space on the Western Slope and specifically in Ouray County is encouraged to respond at www.RidgwayS2CSurvey.com.We are requesting that you forward information about our online survey to the individuals connected to your organization. Artspace recommends working with organizations with creative constituents, such as yours, as the best route for survey distribution. We hope that your organization is willing to support our efforts to reach creatives within our region who have an interest in, or might even just be curious about, this project. A representative from Ridgway Space to Create could also come speak to your group, if desired. Your help is greatly appreciated.If you have questions about the survey or the project, please contact: Diedra Silbert, Community Initiatives Facilitator with the Town of Ridgway.  More information on Ridgway Space to Create can be found at www.ridgwaycreativedistrict.com under the Space to Create tab, or www.facebook.com/SpacetoCreateRidgway.   If you would like more information on Artspace, please visit www.artspace.org.Best Regards,Diedra Silbert, Community Initiatives Facilitator and the Ridgway Space to Create Outreach Committee Diedra SilbertCommunity Initiatives FacilitatorRidgway Creative District, Main Street, and Space to CreateTown of RidgwayPO Box 10Ridgway, CO  81432 970-626-5308 ext. 215(In the office Tuesday - Friday)