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THE NAPLES Life in Naples | December 2016
ART ASSOCIATION

IS HOME
Iby Laurel Meny

n Naples, where hundreds of new residents and
visitors arrive daily, the Naples Art Association
(NAA) is proud to serve as the heart of the
community. It is a place where people can gather,
meet new friends, enjoy art at no cost, and ultimately
feel an attachment to this wonderful community we
call home.
And, we’re not just saying that because we are
the Naples Art Association. We have the data to
back it up. As a matter of fact, the Community
initiative Knight Soul of the Community (SOTC)
- a three-year study conducted by Gallup of the 26
communities across the country to determine the
factors that attach residents to their communities –
surveyed some 43,000 people in 43 cities and found
that “social offerings, openness and welcome-ness,”
and, significantly, the “aesthetics of a place – its
art, parks, and green spaces,” ranked higher than
education, safety, and the local economy as a “driver

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