NAPLES, FLORIDA.- The United Arts Council, Collier County’s designated non profit arts organization, has hired Mr Aurther Greenberg of AMS consulting in St Louis Missouri, to gather with local arts administrators to formulate the counties arts policies for the next ten years.Collier County has the highest per capita income of any county in Florida. The steering committee includes one artist. The only program presently supporting visual artists is given yearly. The annual grant for visual artists averages two hundred dollars. It is the policy of the UAC, not to assist artists by  giving this grant for, lectures, exhibitions, acquisition of artists work by educational institutions, or creation of new works by professional artists. The criteria is innovation, however none of these activities are designated  as being innovative because they are too conventional. Artists must integrate themselves socially with the community of Collier County. The board making these decisions has minimal representation by professional  artists.

The only artist presently on the steering committee to form future art policy in the area has attempted to promote the cause of a professional guild of artists being a part of the decision making processes, and has received  little support from the present board. In the town meeting, a part of the cultural assesment for policy formation, artist advocate Virginia Bryant -Schmidt attempted to bring these imbalances up for discusion. She was silenced by  Mr Greenberg and members of the Arts Council. The local paper, the Naples Daily News, refuses to publicize this issue. Schmidt says it is important that mature practicing artists be given a voice in administrations claiming to speak for and represent the arts.