When I grew up in South Florida in the early 1970's, a cultured evening consisted of a night out at the famed Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale beach. Since than theatres, art museums and performance venues have opened and expanded in cities from Miami through Palm Beach. The vast cultural wasteland of my youth has been transformed into an arts banquet and this winter season presents a smorgasbord of offerings.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art, located in Mizner Park, supplements its permanent collections with two special exhibitions. Degas in Bronze: The Complete Sculptures presents 73 Degas sculptures including ballet dancers, horses and women bathing. Tiffany Studios: Holtzman Collection showcases 50 stained glass pieces created by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Both exhibitions are a visual delight and run through April 27, 2008. For information about museum hours, curator tours and special events check out the museum website at http://www.bocamuseum.org.

The Festival of the Arts, also at Mizner Park, runs from February 29th through March 16th. The festival is a celebration of music, literature, film, art, food and wine. Some of the highlights of the program include literary events with Doris Kearns Godwin, Joyce Carol Oates and Ann Patchett and musical performances by the Pat Metheny Trio, Chick Corea, and the Russian National Orchestra with Joshua Bell, violin and Renee Fleming, soprano. This is the second year of the festival and if last years performances are an indication, this will be one of the outstanding pieces of the cultural season. Performance schedules and event tickets are available at http://www.festivaloftheartsboca.org.

The American Ballet Theatre will be performing its new production of Sleeping Beauty March 13 through 16 at the Carnival Center in Miami. This is the ABT's only Florida appearance this season and the ballet features 90 dancers, world-renowned principals and a full symphony orchestra. The Kravis and Broward Center both have numerous offerings including touring companies of such Broadway productions as Spamalot and Wicked.

For something a little unconventional, check out the Botero, Chihuly and Lichtenstein exhibit at Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami. The exhibit runs through May 31 and one of the highlights is the lighting of the sculptures on Thursday evenings from 6 until 9. You can walk through the gardens and take in the beauty of Botero's unique pieces, Dale Chihuly's glass, Lichtenstein's sculptures and the beautiful silhouettes. For more information the website is http://www.fairchildgarden.org.

These are the main events on my cultural calendar and I would love to hear any other suggestions. Write a comment with your personal favorite so that everyone can share in the South Florida arts experience.

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