Touring was the spark that ignited the Western States Arts Federation. In the 1980s, cultural leaders in the Western states banded together to make tours affordable for their communities and attractive to artists who could book a succession of performance dates in a block; WESTAF became a mechanism through which this could be possible.

Launched in 1994 and underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts, the TourWest program sought to help nonprofit presenters bring high quality performing artists to underserved communities throughout the region. This tradition continues today..