But to Kirt Bateman, the new executive director of the Davis Arts Council and a Salt Lake City resident, Davis County has an asset that's hard for the larger city to appreciate - a community of people working together to make something from nothing.

"They make it happen for themselves," says Bateman, who has been on the job since mid-February. "That's where a sense of community comes from."

Residents created the council nearly three decades ago at the behest of the Layton mayor. The city still is the biggest sponsor, chipping in about $35,000 in cash and loads of in-kind contributions.

The Ed Kenley Centennial Amphitheater, finished in 1995 next to the municipal building in Layton Commons Park, provides a venue for the Summer Nights With the Stars concert series and theater, as well as free Sunday night concerts with local talent and free movies on Wednesday nights.

The council also has a small film festival, cultural workshops and a community choir.

The amphitheater, says council board chairman Bruce Davis, is the community's "cultural center."

But it also is Layton's "front porch," where neighbors and friends from all walks of life bump into each other, says Davis.

Layton's tradition of embracing arts is partly what attracted Bateman, 32, to the job.

A 13-year actor, director and theater-arts instructor, Bateman was the musical director and co-director of the Davis Arts Council's 2006 production of "Annie."

"I began to fall in love with the community," says Bateman, who noticed the gusto with which the nonprofessional actors embraced their roles, the enthusiasm of hundreds of volunteers and an appreciative audience.

"We lose that sometimes as professionals," says Bateman. "My sense is that in Salt Lake . . . we don't necessarily appreciate the community coming together like this."

When Charlene Nelson announced plans to retire after nearly two decades as executive director, Bateman's friend on the board and fellow actor Teresa Sanderson suggested he apply.

Besides his artistic background, Bateman spent the past eight years working in marketing for The Clements Group, a Salt Lake City-based consulting company for nonprofits.

That combination of artistic and management abilities made Bateman an obvious choice, says Davis, director of the Weber State University Davis campus.

"Kirt brings to us a rather rare combination," Davis says. "It's challenging to find someone with both."

Longtime performer Bateman, a West Jordan native, began acting at a young age; his fourth-grade teacher had "the foresight to see that children could understand Shakespeare," says Bateman.

The class performed "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Bateman was one of six children and grew up milking cows on the Bateman Dairy Farm, which was in the center of West Jordan. The farm has long since been bulldozed under for subdivisions, and the family moved the dairy to Levan.

Bateman began acting semi-professionally just after high school. He attended Southern Utah University and Utah State University, but his artistic education has come from roles with a number of companies.

He has been involved in productions for Plan-B Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, Egyptian Theatre Company, Old Lyric Repertory Company, Pygmalion Theatre Company, Grand Teton Mainstage and Desert Star Playhouse.

At one point, in 2000, Bateman decided to try to make it in New York City.

The car was packed and he was on his way, but the car broke down in Park City, giving him a few days to rethink the adventure.

"I got cold feet," he says. He stayed in Utah and soon went to work for the consulting company. "It ended up being the best."

Looking ahead Bateman has a number of goals for the Davis Arts Council.

He wants the council to remain on sound financial footing and plans to make residents and sponsors more aware of what it offers. He wants to create a strategic vision in partnership with the board and cultivate the sponsors and volunteers to make it happen.

That plan will include broader arts offerings, particularly in the schools and the visual arts, says Davis. Eventually, it will include a year-round performance venue. Bateman's fundraising know-how will come in handy then, he says.

"It may take time. It takes good leadership and support of the community and people with vision," says Davis.

Bateman, he says, "has what we need."

kmoulton@sltrib.com