Women continued to spend the majority of their time caring for their homes and children. Social, cultural, and service clubs filled their leisure hours and satisfied their need for companionship during the day. Since 1960 the arts have received increasing attention from the Westchester community. An educated population offered support and volunteer time to help promote historical and art museums and the performing arts. The Katonah Gallery is an outstanding example of a professional and volunteer staff working closely together to create highly professional art exhibits and programs for the public and for the schools.
Many communities have active arts councils as well as private schools of dance, music, and art.
In 1965 the Council of the Arts of Westchester was founded to provide funds for arts groups and promote the arts in Westchester. Corporations have led the fund raising efforts of the Council of the Arts. PepsiCo, Inc., in cooperation with the State University of New York at Purchase, created the outstanding Summerfare program which brings world-famous musical, theater, and dance groups to the S. U. N. Y. Purchase campus for a month of performances in July and August. Well-known performing artists have always found Westchester an attractive place to live because of its proximity to New York and the privacy offered by its secluded countryside. Julius LaRosa, Colleen Dewhurst, Joan Bennett, Roberta Peters, Aaron Copeland, and Robert Merrill are among the celebrities who live or have lived in Westchester.