WESTAF Origins: Supporting Creativity in the West

Ever-Evolving Community Programs

At the grassroots level, WESTAF helped to catalyze programs that were rooted in community needs and aspirations. The goal was that these initiatives be as diverse as the communities they served, from funding local art projects to organizing cultural events that highlighted the region’s rich artistic offerings. An emphasis on community-driven programs highlighted the symbiotic relationship between art and society.

One institution, Ballet West, was born of a collaboration with the Federation of Rocky Mountain States. A successor of the Utah Civic Ballet, Ballet West has made ballet a more accessible and affordable art form in the western region through the Federation’s support to build the Utah Civic Ballet into a regional professional ballet company.

Willam Christensen said of the development, “If it is as successful as we anticipate, we will have not just a good ballet company here but a great one. Of course, we will always remain a Utah company and Utah always will be our home. But now we can serve more people, add to our stability, and help spread the cost of operation over a wider area and larger audience.”

A Journey Still Unfolding

The WESTAF of today continues to celebrate the western imagination through the arts, and we are humbled and grateful to witness the cultural organizations in our region creating legacies and seeing communities uniting under the umbrella of the arts. Our vision remains unchanged and our mission still resonates 50 years later in supporting arts organizations and artists in their quest to serve diverse audiences, enrich the lives of local communities, and provide access to the arts for all.