Log in

Arts & Culture a West Valley asset

2015 study: $23M in direct economic activity

Posted 12/30/19

The West Valley arts and culture community is supported by dedicated organizations and institutions.

“A vibrant quality of life is what most businesses and families look for when relocating …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Arts & Culture a West Valley asset

2015 study: $23M in direct economic activity

Posted

The West Valley arts and culture community is supported by dedicated organizations and institutions.

“A vibrant quality of life is what most businesses and families look for when relocating to a new area,” says Bernadette Carroll, executive director of the West Valley Arts Council, 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise. “The West Valley Arts Council (WVAC) was born out of the need for arts and culture in the West Valley. Before there were City Arts Commissions, WVAC was the cultural connector to the cities, schools and local businesses.”

Recently awarded the 2019 Best of the West Award for its work in the community, WVAC serves as a prime example, celebrating 50 years of artistic cultivation in the West Valley.

Established in 2006, WHAM Art Association, 16560 N. Dysart Road, Surprise, is another notable West Valley incubator for artists. The non-profit art organization represents upwards of 150 artists, many of whom have studios at WHAM, an acronym for What’s Happen’n Art Movement.

The organization was created primarily to support the Northwest Valley, including but not limited to Surprise, Sun City West, Sun City, El Mirage, North Peoria, West Glendale, Youngtown, Buckeye and Wickenburg.

“WHAM provides not only traditional art classes to adults and children but works with underserved populations to give them the means to be an active part of our society,” explains Connie Whitlock, WHAM executive director. “WHAM’s 501c3 non-profit certification brings art education to our community.”

As part of WHAM’s community engagement, free classes are available to veterans. “Art: A Path To Healing” is offered once a month (with lunch) to veterans and first responders taught by professional artists to help prepare the veteran with a way to relieve stress,” Ms. Whitlock says.

WHAM also hosts “Finding Your Hidden Talent” for adaptive groups and “Creative Mindful Art” for people with Dementia.

Both Peoria-based powerhouses TheaterWorks, 10580 N. 83rd Drive, and Arizona Broadway Theatre (ABT), 7701 W. Paradise Lane, have been enriching the West Valley performance arts offerings for more than a decade.

“TheaterWorks was founded in 1986 by 12 people who believed in the work of our founder David Wo and knew the West Valley needed a theater,” Cate Hinkle, TheaterWorks managing director, says. “After mortgaging their homes and renting out a barn, they created one of the only sources for performing arts in the West Valley at the time. The 2019-20 season marks the 34th season running.”

As the West Valley’s premier high-end “grab dinner and a show!” experience, ABT has been entertaining Valley residents for 15 years.

“ABT is an all-in-one entertainment experience with a national reputation for drawing top talent,” Brad York, ABT marketing director, says. “ABT’s creative team, led by Cassandra Klaphake and associate artistic director Kurtis Overby, hold bi-annual auditions in New York City as well as regular local auditions in Arizona — casting the best actors, singers and dancers.”

While entertaining West Valley families is certainly a function of these local performance art entities, fostering and providing performance opportunities serve as an additional priority.

“Over the past two years, the reception to HyRev, the ABT theatre’s new elite performance troupe, has been remarkable,” Mr. York says. “With over 60 talented kids enrolled from across the Valley, the program has become an essential element in improving the quality of life for our community by providing a local, home-grown outlet for kids to learn and grow through the enriching power of the performing arts.”

Theatre work offers and produces full seasons of theater with youth theater (YouthWorks), puppet theater (PuppetWorks), youth education camps and classes (Kids Alive! and SummerWorks Academy) and (AdaptiveWorks) and educational programming for adults over 50 (Broadway Sr.).

“TheaterWorks welcomed 8,000 school-aged youth to field trip performances, hundreds of young people to its YouthWorks Academy classes and camps, more than a hundred young people to its stages, and is drawing more families than ever before,” Ms. Hinkle says.

Alone, the West Valleys arts and culture provisions are plentiful and unique in their offerings. Together, they serve as a greater gateway to economic growth and possibility.

WVAC coordinates a national five-year study for the Americans for the Arts/Arts and Economic Prosperity Study for the West Valley.

“Our regional Arizona data collecting showed that nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences contributed nearly $23 million in direct economic activity in the West Valley in 2015,” Ms. Carroll says, “generating more than $2.5 million in local and state government revenues.”

WVAC’s next study is slated for 2020.

“The West Valley has a deep-rooted sense of community,” Ms. Hinkle says. “There is a small-town feel but with the growth of a big city. Everyone has a huge sense of pride about living in the area and around the history and great sense of enthusiasm in the future.”

Editor’s note: Kristina Vossler is Membership, Events & Media Manager for WESTMARC.