I received an email yesterday from Lawren Desai, one of the founders of a/perture cinema, that she sent out to folks who might be interested in a new Winston-Salem initiative called the Creative Corridors Coalition.  I think many of you might be interested as well, and I think Lawren's email does a great job of explaining why:

Hello all,
 
I am writing to let you know about a very important community project that I hope will interest you if you live in the Winston-Salem area.  Over the next 7 years our community will experience massive investment in roadway infrastructure to support anticipated economic and transportation growth; the total for all of the projects will exceed $1 billion, invested in and around the downtown area.  A strong group of community volunteers have formed the Creative Corridors Coalition to lead a process to develop a Master Design Plan which will focus on aesthetics, identity and ensuring that these projects connect rather than divide our city.  Simply put, if we are going to experience such important growth, shouldn’t we give thought to how it all fits together and impacts the quality of our community’s life?  As an example, 11 new bridges in a 2 mile stretch of Business 40 will be built….they can either look like the ones we have now, or they can architecturally reflect the identity of a city with a storied history and a bright future. 
 
This kind of project happens once every couple of generations so what we do now will be in place for the rest of your life (and your children's life).  It really is a fantastic way to make a difference and I encourage you to visit the website for more information (www.creativecorridors.org) and to plan on attending an opening reception on February 7th (see invitation below).  CCC has received initial funding in the form of a $200,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and we are actively working on a number of projects in the development, communications, community engagement and design areas.
 
It is really important that we continue to demonstrate that we, the citizens of Winston Salem, have an interest in this project and want our voice to be heard.  Please consider signing up to join the coalition (no cost) and we can keep you updated on the progress.  We need you and it will only take a minute.  Please join, and if you are especially inspired, get involved in one of our committees.