Mandy Ritter is a woman who wears many hats, among them: Wife. Mother. Artist. Hobby farmer. Sterling City Councilwoman. Program manager for the Sterling Creative District.

In other words, she's busy.

Ritter grew up mostly in Sterling, graduating from Sterling High School and attending Northeastern Junior College for two years. She then moved to Denver to attend Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, studying fine art painting.

"Denver did not suit me," she said, and she returned to Sterling, where she married a boy she'd known since her junior high years, Cody Ritter. The couple has a toddler, Julia, who keeps Mom on her toes.

"We both enjoy the small town. Sterling's just a good place to live," Ritter said of her and her husband.

In her teen years, Ritter said, she could not have envisioned building a life here.

"I didn't feel like there was the art community when I was that age. I thought, 'I have to go to a bigger city to be an artist,'" she said.

A desire to change that is behind what she does today with the Sterling Creative District and its sister organization LOCAL (Logan County Arts League).

"This can be a place where kids can see themselves growing up and being a 'creative,' and not having to move to a city," Ritter said.

She added that while the community has long had a vibrant music scene, visual arts took a back seat to that.

Mandy Ritter, left, is sworn in by Judge Kelly Hansen at the Sterling City Council meeting Dec. 10, 2019.

Her desire to ensure the arts are represented in the community also inspired her decision to run for City Council in 2019.

"I wanted to be ... that voice of 'This is always an option,'" she said.

Doing so meant overcoming her natural shyness – "I never imagined myself doing anything like what I'm doing now and being such a public person" – but she said she's enjoyed her time on the council so far, feeling she brings a different point of view to the group. She also was excited to be part of hiring the new city manager.

In her work with LOCAL, she is focused on creating opportunities for artists and creative businesses. In the near future, that will include the launch of a public mural project that has been in the works for over a year. She said a site has been selected for the first mural, and the organization will be putting out a call for artists in the next month to paint what she hopes will be a kickoff to a series of building-sized murals that celebrate the community.

The organization is also working to procure grant funding for the purchase of a building that Ritter hopes will house space for classes and performances, as well as provide affordable housing and workspace for artists. She feels that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the idea that artists can live wherever they want -- it doesn't have to be a city -- and such a facility could grow the art community in Sterling.

"I'm hoping it could draw more artists, or have people work as artists within our facility," she said.

Such a space would allow LOCAL to offer programming throughout the year, as they are currently more limited to activities during the summer when they can be outside.

Already, the work Ritter has done with LOCAL and the creative district is drawing attention on a state level. Ritter was excited to attend the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) convention at the end of this month and present what they've been working on. Sterling's relative newness as a creative district and its level of activity is impressive, she said. Because the creative district is certified by the state, it qualifies for CCI grants, and Ritter said they are looking to invest in rural areas.

When it comes to her own art, Ritter said she likes to try "a bit of everything." Lately, she's been focused on textile art, using yarn spun from the alpacas on her hobby farm, where she also keeps bees and raises chickens. She has turned the beekeeping into a business, selling honey and other products, but said with her full schedule, she thinks the hobby farm will remain just that – a hobby – for now.

She's too busy for anything else.