History
Beaux Arts was founded in the spring of 1952 by fifty members under the direction of Ann Atkinson, the assistant Director of the newly built Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery. The organization has grown to 100 active members and over 200 active associate members.
The first Festival of Art (formerly “Clothesline Sale”) was held in the spring of 1952 in order to give young artists a chance to meet the buying public. The Festival became an annual project and is now recognized as one of the leading art shows in Florida with over 250 artists from all over the country, drawing crowds in excess of 150,000.
In 1953, Beaux Arts built the Children’s Pavilion to provide art classes for children. The facility was later enclosed, then renovated and enlarged in 1994. Committee members organize, supervise, and operate year-round classes, which offer opportunities for children of various ages to study a variety of disciplines under local artists. Today Beaux Arts provides scholarships enabling selected students to attend the Museum art classes.
Other successful Beaux Arts programs have included the founding of the Docent Committee, now the Docent Program of the Lowe Art Museum. In 1974, the Museum store was opened under the direction of Beaux Arts and became financially successful in less than one year, with the management of the store now turned over to the Docents of the Lowe Art Museum. In 1974, Beaux Arts members produced its first cookbook of regional recipes, Seasons in the Sun. Our latest cookbook, Tropical Seasons, continues to provide additional program funding.
Programs
- HANDS ON! A Children’s Celebration of Art is a program designed to provide art experience to the children of South Florida. This project involves free busing, a guided tour of the Museum’s exhibitions, hands on time to “create” under local artists’ supervision, refreshments, and entertainment relating to the exhibition.
- The Student Artist Showcase involves high school and middle school student artists in the Beaux Arts Festival of Art. Students are invited to participate by submitting their artwork, which is entered in a juried contest. All entries are displayed at the Lowe Art Museum and the winners of the various categories receive cash prizes and get the opportunity to exhibit their artwork at the Festival.
- Beaux Arts Summer Camp: Looking for something safe, fun and creative for your kids this summer? Spend the summer with Beaux Arts Summer Art Camp at the University of Miami. Campers ages 5-12 will make one-of-a-kind projects and learn through fun, hands-on art activities across different mediums.
Fundraising Activities
- Beaux Arts Costume Ball is held annually in the fall and holds the distinction of being the oldest costume ball in the area.
- The annual Festival of Art is held every winter. It is a two-day juried show that is consistently ranked as one of the top 200 Fine Arts shows in the U.S.
- Tropical Seasons is the current Beaux Arts Cookbook sold to the public.
