Free & cheap fun at Palm Beach cultural center

The Society of the Four Arts’ 2022-2023 season program is out, and it is packed with free, fun and cheap things for adults and children to do at the Palm Beach cultural center.

The venerable institution was founded in 1936 on the eastern shore of the Intracoastal Waterway. Today, it is a 10-acre campus with a gallery, gardens and performance space – allI sustained by some of Palm Beach’s most affluent residents. Years ago, it adopted the motto: Four Arts for Everyone.

What are the Four Arts, anyway? The Society of the Four Arts defines them as Drama, Art, Music and Literature. Here’s a chance to experience Palm Beach culture on a dime.

Teen programs

Outside the Lines: Mixed Media Botanicals
April 1, 2023, 10:30 a.m.

Free programs for young people ages 12 to 18 are offered with reservations required. All materials are provided. To register, email kinglibrary@fourarts.org or call (561) 655-2766.

Garden Club Flower Show 2023

Mark your calendar for the Garden Club of Palm Beach “In Bloom” Flower Show flower. It is April 15 and 16. The free show is only held every other year, and it is a can’t-miss highlight of springtime. It will be held in the Esther B. O’Keeffe Gallery, 102 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach. Visit this page for more details.

You’ll also find children and family events as well as a book club and movie screenings. Live performances can range to $40 a ticket and up, but some are free.

Navalny: A Sundance documentary

• Film screening: 5:30 p.m., Friday, April 21, 2023
• Shown in: The Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium
• Tickets: $10 for nonmembers

See this page for more details.

More in the mostly-for-adults: Friday Film Series

See a movie in the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium on the historic campus for 10 bucks. Tickets are available in advance and doors open 30 minutes before screening.

• Friday, April 7, 2023
  2 and 5:30 p.m.: I am Sam
• Friday, April 21, 2023
  5:30 p.m.: Argo
• Friday, April 28, 2023
  5:30 p.m.: Navalny
• Friday, May 5, 2023
  5:30 p.m.: The Dig
• Friday, May 19, 2023
  5:30 p.m., Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

See this page for more event details.

“There is something for everyone at The Society of the Four Arts. Enjoy a midday stroll in the beautiful Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden and Four Arts Botanical Gardens,” Four Arts spokesman David Darby said.

He pointed out that new this season are six designated family-friendly programs to go along with preschool and family story times and school-age programs offered by the Four Arts Children’s Library.

The society has a limited number of members, and they get the first chance at tickets. But there are often tickets available for purchase by we non-members, and the free events are open to all.

In addition to the events below, the Four Arts offers free monthly school-age programs in cooking, art and floral design. Dates and classes will be announced at fourarts.org. Required reservations may be made by calling the Children’s Library at (561) 655-2776.

You’ll find the Four Arts at 100 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach.

Here are some of my favorite free and cheap opportunities at the Society of the Four Arts.

Preschool story time

The Society of the Four Arts offers preschool story time most Mondays and Thursdays at 10:30 am October through April for children 4 years old and younger. The story time is free, and no reservations are needed.

Topics range from Fire Prevention Day to Owls to Friends and Bunnies.

For more information, visit fourarts.org or call (561) 655-2776.

Family story time

These delightful free gatherings at the Children’s Library are offered to children 8 years old and younger at 10:30 am on select Saturdays November through April. No reservations are needed.

An arts and crafts activity follows each story time. For more information, visit fourarts.org or call (561) 655 2776.

Sculpture and botanical gardens are free

The Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden and Four Arts Botantical Garden are always free. The Garden Club of Palm Beach planted the botanical garden in 1938. The gardens are open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. each day except for major holidays, and they close during inclement weather.

Look for free hard-copy guides to the garden and historic buildings next to the King Library and Dixon Building or scan the QR code displayed there to open the tour on your smart device.

Free decent-led tours of the sculpture garden are offered at 10 a.m. Wednesdays from December through April. Individuals and groups of up to 10 are welcome, according to the Four Arts’ guide. Arrive 15 minutes early and meet the docent at the garden entrance next to the King Library.

Biography Book Club

Each group will focus on the life of a prominent person. A suggested reading list of available books from the King Library will be distributed once registers. Attendees must read at least one of the books and come ready to discuss. To register, email kinglibrary@fourarts.org or call (561) 655 2766.

Other book gatherings are offered on select Wednesdays at 1:30 and select Tuesdays at 5:30 pm. Find out more at fourarts.org.

There’s so much more at the Four Arts: including an art museum, master classes and lectures. Once you visit, you will appreciate this jewel of Palm Beach.

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