Four Arts announces its largest season
PALM BEACH – The Society of the Four Arts has announced the largest season in its 80-year history, offering more than 500 arts and cultural programs in 2016-2017.
From November through April, the Four Arts will offer two art exhibitions, a new lecture series with noted historians, 20 live music performances from the likes of Sir James Galway and the Vienna Boys Choir, and book signings and appearances from best-selling authors such as Stuart Woods, Emilie Richards, and Andrew Gross.
The organization’s popular O’Keeffe Speaker Series is also back, featuring actor Jim Carter from Downton Abbey, journalist Clarissa Ward of CNN, New Yorker writer George Packer and several others. For the younger crowd, there will be a Skype event for teens with author and cybersecurity expert Cory Doctorow, as well as more than 80 free children’s programs.
The art exhibitions include 20th-century modernist works from the collection of Roy Neuberger (Dec. 3-Jan. 29) and a survey of American folk art from 1800 to 1920 (Feb. 11-March 26).
Also noteworthy is the widely anticipated biennial flower show presented by the Garden Club of Palm Beach in the Four Arts galleries in April. The club also will host lifestyle celebrity Martha Stewart as its annual speaker in February.
Founded in 1936, The Society of the Four Arts is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to its mission of inspiring and engaging people through outstanding artistic programs. For more information, including the full events calendar and ticketinginformation, please visit www.fourarts.org.
Cultural Council struts its arts stuff for tourism marketers
BOCA RATON – The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County promoted the area’s arts and culture to attendees of the 2016 U.S. Travel Association Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO), which was held Aug. 30 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
The Cultural Council was invited to stage a performance based on its previous success at the 2014 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. That surprise performance, featuring Vanilla Ice, the Palm Beach Symphony and Ballet Palm Beach, was awarded the American Business Association’s “Stevie” Award for Best PR Event.
“The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County was pleased to produce this performance that shined a light on the unique musical offerings in the Palm Beaches,” said Marilyn Bauer, director of marketing and government affairs.
The show by South Florida artists included a mashup of Big Band sounds, cabaret, dance, and Latin percussion. Throughout the finale, band members and audience alike donned Palm Beach-aqua sunglasses. The glasses are part of the council’s “Shades of Culture” advertising campaign, which is designed to encourage people to “see the arts through a different lens.”
This year’s performance for ESTO was highlighted by vocalist Carole Bufford, dancers from Ballet Palm Beach, performers from Michael Feinstein’s “Great American Songbook” series, and Grammy-nominated Sammy Figueroa and his band, The Latin Jazz Explosion. The Cultural Council also assembled a band of local performers called The Palm Beach All-Stars.
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches. For more information, please visit palmbeachculture.com or call (561) 471-2901.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge featured in film series
LOS ANGELES — The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge west of Boynton Beach has been featured in a short film released by Tandem Stills +Motion and the National Wildlife Refuge Association. The film is part of an ongoing collaboration by Tandem and the Refuge Association to document and celebrate the importance of urban national wildlife refuges throughout the United States.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has identified 14 priority urban wildlife refuges within the system. Tandem documented seven of these refuges in 2015 and the remaining seven are being documented this year. The films are part of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, which has an objective of engaging communities around national wildlife refuges and providing new opportunities to learn about and take part in wildlife habitat conservation.
The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge comprises approximately 144,000 acres of northern Everglades and cypress swamp. The film features the area’s tranquility, its abundant bird life, and rare plants, as well as the research projects, partnerships, and programs associated with it and the surrounding community.
“The Urban Wildlife Conservation Program is fostering a sense of appreciation for these refuges, and providing a place for the next generation of nature lovers to learn and grow,” said filmmaker and Tandem CEO Ian Shive.
For more information on the program and to view the all the films, please visit the USFWS website at www.fws.gov/urban/. — Compiled by Rielle Sukhu