About the Four Arts

The Society of the Four Arts is a nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1936 with a mission to inspire and engage people through the presentation of outstanding artistic programs. The Four Arts offers hundreds of programs, including concerts, art exhibits, workshops, films, children’s programs, and more, mostly concentrated from November through May. The 10-acre campus along the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach includes a performance hall, an art gallery, a modern education center devoted to lifelong learning, a library, a children’s library, and beautiful sculpture gardens. The Four Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

The Four Arts believes that the passion of music, the beauty of art, the thrill of drama, and the pleasure of literature bridge the gap from mere existence to truly living. It is our desire to share “the four arts” with everyone.

Facilities

The Esther B. O’Keeffe Gallery Building, designed by famed architect Addison Mizner, is home to a gallery that features a diverse and ever-changing schedule of traveling art exhibitions. The building also includes the 700-seat Gubelmann Auditorium with top-of-the-line sound and lighting for concerts, lectures and films. The auditorium is home to the popular live broadcasts of Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD and National Theatre of London productions, offered throughout the season. (Please note the O’Keeffe galleries are closed to the public on Tuesdays in January, February, and March.)

The Four Arts’ newest facility, the Dixon Education Building, is home to Campus on the Lake cultural education programs. The landmarked building was originally built in the 1920s as Palm Beach’s public school building. In 2013 the building was renovated and revitalized by the Four Arts, preserving the facility’s landmarked exterior while modernizing the interior for 21st-century learning. With classrooms, an art studio and even an apartment for a visiting artist, the Dixon Education Building serves as South Florida’s home for lifelong learning.

The Four Arts King Library boasts a collection of more than 70,000 publications, periodicals, DVDs and other media. Lively book discussion groups take place several times a month and are open to the public at no charge. The library serves as the town library for Palm Beach, but memberships with borrowing privileges are available to all book lovers whether they live on the island or not.

Located in the Rovensky Building, The Children’s Library invites children and families to borrow books and use computers free of charge. A free story time program is offered twice a week for preschool-aged children and special events for children of all ages are offered throughout the year. In addition to enjoying stories and singing songs, children participate in games and crafts to complement the story time theme of the day.

The Four Arts Demonstration Garden was designed in 1938 to help new arrivals to South Florida who were struggling with gardening in the state’s tropical climate. Seven demonstration gardens illustrate different styles of landscaping and information on drought and heat tolerant plants. Adjacent to the demonstration garden is the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden, which showcases carefully selected sculptures in an outdoor museum-like setting. With welcoming pergolas and Pannill Pavilion, the Hulitar Sculpture Garden has become a top destination for visitors to South Florida. The gardens are open seven days a week, and there is no charge for admission. Further info can be found here.

Once the Embassy Apartment Building, the Rovensky Administration Building was renovated in the mid 1990s and is now home to staff offices and The Children’s Library.

Publications

Learn more about our past and present programs and offerings by visiting our online publication catalog, hosted by Issuu.