Photographs by William Taufic.
Ann Sheffer’s dedication to Westport and the arts has deep roots. Growing up here, she ushered at the Westport Country Playhouse. “As a young teenager [and a member of the Staples Players], that’s where we hung out,” comments Ann, who recently celebrated fifty years of involvement at the esteemed theater. A board member since 1999, she says, “The Playhouse is one of the reasons that Westport was known as an artist colony. It’s a different sort of arts community now, but certainly there’s lots of support for the Playhouse, the Levitt Pavilion, the Westport Arts Center… It’s really a unique place.”
Ann is an advocate for the arts on the local, state and national level. When she and her husband served on the RTM fifteen years ago, they proposed an ordinance to create an official committee to preserve and promote the town’s artistic heritage. The resulting Westport Arts Advisory Committee has celebrated artists in all disciplines for the past nineteen years, especially young artists who got their start in school arts programs.
“Exposing kids to the arts in school helps them learn in other subjects and provides a critical dimension to their education,” says Ann, who cites arts education as one of the most important causes she supports.
“Ann is one of Connecticut’s leading arts advocates and funders,” comments Karen Brown, VP of Programs at Fairfield County Community Foundation, where Ann created the Fairfield County Fund for Arts and Culture. Ann serves on the state’s Advisory Committee for Culture and Tourism. She also serves on the board of Americans for the Arts and was a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under Clinton.
“It’s a never-ending battle to keep the funding on all levels,” says Ann. “The arts are what keep communities alive and interesting, and they generate money: $135 billion nationally and 4.5 million jobs.” Through her family’s foundation, Ann funded a breakout study on the economic impact of the arts specifically for Fairfield County. “The arts here generated $130 million in spending—when you tabulate ticket prices, dinners out, babysitters, etc.—and nearly 4,000 jobs.”
Ann could have had one of those jobs, backstage if not on it. She majored in theater at Smith College but claims, “I was a terrible actress. The year after I graduated, I ran the theater. It turned out that’s what I like to do.” After Smith, where Ann says, “We joked that we were learning how to be on committees,” she got a masters in Arts Administration and an MBA. Ultimately, the mom of four chose to be “a professional volunteer.” For that, Ann Sheffer deserves a standing ovation.