Harriet Heithaus is no stranger to the arts, especially in Southwest Florida. The Naples Press senior editor’s hunt for the best local exhibitions, theater and music has persisted for nearly a quarter of a century through publications like Naples Daily News and Ambience magazine, as well as in her current role. Through her hyper-local lens, unwavering curiosity and steadfast coverage, Harriet’s passion for the region’s ever-evolving arts scene—and its people—has cemented the reporter/editor as a trusted name and arbiter of culture and taste in paradise.
In celebration of her dedication to the arts and her local and international journalism work—covering everything from politics to travel on a global scale—United Arts Collier (UAC) will honor Harriet at their November 23 Seaside Soirée gala. The 2020 honoree of The Naples Players Ovation Awards and 2010 recipient of UAC’s Stars in the Arts award knew this was her calling from a young age, feeling a pull to tell stories and write. She recalls with a smile reading a classmate’s story in the second grade and thinking, “I can do better than that.”
Harriet began her first internship with Piqua Daily Call in 1964. Still a high school student, she put in every hour she could, securing her first full-time job as a features editor and writer with the paper in 1970. Since those days, the call to write has carried her from Florida to Ohio to Indiana and as far as Gaza. No matter the story, Harriet has always explored the minutia of her subjects, what makes them run. She’s emerged more refined and eager, even as the journalism industry shifted from an exclusively print to digital-first model—a change that impacted the media world forever. “Writing for web has given me more impetus to make my writing visual,” she says. “It was always a priority, but even more so now, to get the color, the sight, the sounds—anything that can evoke a sense of place for the reader.”
Although her career has stretched far and wide, Harriet always returns to her roots. “But, never sports,” she says with a laugh. “Thank God for that.” When asked how she feels about receiving this recognition, she pauses to consider the weight of the moment. “It makes me feel more responsible,” she says. “It is sort of a ‘Let’s go forward and do more’ nudge. You’ve shown you can do it, so keep doing it.” And she is doing just that, one story at a time.
As the arts and culture expert reflects on her illustrious career, she’s also looking to the future, exploring the depth of musical prowess among Naples’ many chamber groups, the emergence of immersive arts experiences and the explosion of local theater that has persisted in her time covering the region. Harriet hopes to continue to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for local arts in their constantly transformative state, and despite challenges—particularly in Florida, where significant cuts to arts funding across the state have affected Southwest Florida’s arts organizations—Harriet remains hopeful. She continuously advocates for the arts and the integral role they play in society—some impacts cannot be tangibly measured, but rather, must be experienced. Her advice? “Put a little art into your everyday life.”