Marco Island has long welcomed the creative arts. The Art League has been home to some good work by some good artists over the years. In the very different world of "arts and crafts," this island is host to what seems to be thousands of white-tented booths full of somebody or another's idea of art. Folks not interested in those ubiquitous exhibits sometimes have to endure the traffic and congestion they can cause.

All that won't go away, of course, but the Marco art scene is about to take a big leap forward, in the form of an art festival in January called ArtQuest.

The brainchild of the new but active and hardworking Marco Island Foundation for the Arts Inc., ArtQuest will feature at least 14 sculptures by local and/or national artists. That many sponsors are on board already — and the foundation hopes to attract more.

Sponsors at the forefront of this innovative infusion of quality art into Marco daily life are: Arturo's, Vergina and Bayview restaurants; The Studio Gallery; Rick's Island Salon; the Marco Island Civic Association; Black Pearl Yacht Sales; Sally Kramer Furniture; Coast to Coast Custom Homes; the Island Plaza; the Marco Island Sun Times; Sea Excursions; FHD Home Interiors; and Marco Community Bank.

The arts foundation hopes for more commercial and private sponsors.

"We're hoping that as ArtQuest grows, individuals will want to display art on their private property," said foundation vice president Kira Krumm, a prominent interior designer.

The foundation's publicity chairman, Realtor Keith Dameron, said ArtQuest is designed to have national scope.

"We've had responses to our call to artists from all over — New England and Denver, to name a couple," he said. "The ones approved by the panel will be matched with supporting businesses."

Dameron mentioned one specific piece that'll be featured at ArtQuest.

"The Gallery de Soleil in Naples offered us for display and sale one of its high-end sculptures, valued at $50,000," Dameron said. "It's an exquisite 7-foot-high bronze, a female form with a globe just out of reach of her outstretched arms. Vergina at The Esplanade will display it as a cornerstone of ArtQuest."

Dameron said at least six of the pieces of art will be displayed at sponsors located at The Esplanade on North Collier Boulevard.

"They'll throw a nice affair the evening of the unveiling in late January." Dameron said. "And we'll have festivities at each of the other sites where art is displayed."

The deadline for collecting entries is Oct. 31. The grand opening of ArtQuest in January will begin with an "unveiling" at The Studio Gallery, where owner Juan Munera will host the sponsors, artists and "friends of the foundation," individuals who donate $200 to the cause.

Krumm is enthused about the overall impact of ArtQuest.

"The idea is that Marco is a beautiful community that really lacks art. There's not a lot of public art on display," she said. "We hope to bring some life and art to the community, so that people can see it in public areas."

The foundation cautions that sculptures for ArtQuest must use media appropriate for our tropical climate, such as stone or bronze.

We assume, with some amusement, that ArtQuest can avoid the sort of controversy that swirls around Trafalgar Square in London. Officials there put up a statue of a real-life woman, pregnant, with no arms or legs. Naked.

Some Brits are outraged; others just say, "Hey, it's art." Yeah, but a far cry from ArtQuest.

Chris Curle, a former CNN news anchor, hosts the nationally syndicated PBS show Health Sense on WGCU-TV Channel 3. E-mail: marcochris@aol.com.