Project Overview
The Western Heritage Arts Center is a heritage destination attraction where the rich traditions of our western past come together with the contemporary expressions of western style, art, film, music and performance. To be located in historic West Yellowstone, Montana, the Western Heritage Arts Center will powerfully preserve, present and promote the best of our American Western culture. read about our Mission and Vision.
Be a part of history and help make the vision a reality at this world-class living-history and cultural arts center.
- The Western Heritage Arts Center main building with its performance venues, art museum, collections libraries, archives, media center and production facilities.
- An outdoor concert stage & festival lawn. A multicultural hub of the West.
- An arena hosting Rodeo events, Wild West shows, equestrian workshops, American Indian events, city-wide conferences and winter Ice Center.
- A Northern Plains Indian living history museum where tribal families share lifestyles, crafts and culture with other tribes and the world.
- A large barn-styled Carriage House featuring light-industry acoustic instrument workshops for “experience vacationers” and organizational self-sustainabilty.
- The Western Heritage Arts Center for Kids and Youth, (WHACKY) a youth arts-education camp and facility teaching youth from everywhere art, music, performance and new media in a western setting with western activities.
- An historic building rescue and restoration project creating authentic environs of the west where living-history reenactors demonstrate and keep relevant the life styles and skilled trades that pioneered the American West.
- A “Horseman’s RV park”, care facilities, pastures and guest houses.
Planned Project Components Include:
Arts Center
Within the main Art Center building is the home of the Western Heritage Art Center, a non-profit Arts and Humanities organization whose mission it is to collect, preserve and present the very best of our western American heritage. A center for preservation and research, the library contains what it collects: Everything we can find of music, western/cowboy art, cowboy poetry, rancher journals, and storytelling, including western film.
From gems found in our collections library, our troupe of players and in-house country western & bluegrass band will keep these art forms alive by performing the best of historical and contemporary content for our theater patrons. These performances are a supplement to American Indian events and advertised special events, which include bluegrass and acoustic music concerts and festivals, chataquah events, poetry gatherings, clogging, fiddle and flat-picking events, an annual Western Film Festival, Wild West shows and rodeo events as well as big name touring performers.
By providing authentic environments for artisans and Native Americans to immerse their families in the crafts and languages of their forbearers, Yellowstone travelers will experience living-history in engaging and immersive ways and connect with our heritage in a high-quality, well designed facility along Yellowstone's western edge.
Our intention is to blend positive western ideals with the spiritual connectedness to the land and wildlife of the Northern Plains Indian cultures in order to model and preserve our unique American heritage and true American identity.
The Right Idea at the Right Time in the Right Place
We hope that you will be impressed by the interdependent, synergystic nature of this ambitious and multifacted project. We are still a relatively young Nation and we believe that by taking the best of our iconic Cowboy mythology blended with the spiritual connectedness of Native American cultures, we can preserve and model our unique heritage and share that Spirit of the American West in fascinating and entertaining ways to the world-wide audience entering Yellowstone Park just blocks away.
In addtion to the links below, please take a look at what others have said who believe this project will be a wonderful addition to the Yellowstone area.
- Sustainable Heritage Tourism Why Western Heritage Arts Center is the right project for West Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Park.
- Montana Economic Develoment Association (MEDA) Read what an independent economic development group said about West Yellowstone and the Western Heritage Arts Center.
- Why West Yellowstone? Wonder if West Yellowstone is up to the task? Here is why we think West Yellowstone is IDEAL .
Would you like to become part of something wonderful? Be a part of history and help make the vision a reality at this world-class living-history and cultural arts center.
A High Quality and Authentic Experience
It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the majority of Yellowstone visitors relying on the services of its west gate are interested in family oriented, top quality, authentic experiences with a decidedly western flavor. With the recent explosion of excellent lodging, West Yellowstone has secured itself among gateway communities as the most convenient stop over to see the wonders of Yellowstone National Park.
A place for families to enjoy an excellent and authentic western experience in entertainment, music, arts & crafts, and wonderful activities is a sure hit and a desperately needed addition to what the gateway community can offer the Yellowstone visitor. read the next section!
