Thursday, February 9 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Lowe Art Museum Director Brian Dursum and Stella M. Holmes, President of The Brickellian, Inc., will jointly host a preview event for West Encounters East's Light and Shadows, an exhibition for ArteAmericas 2012. West Encounters East (WEE) is a project that rethinks the significance of cultural exchange, emigration, ethnicity and diversity by identifying and engaging emerging and established Latin American artists of Asian heritage. Guest speakers will be writer Anna Kazumi Stahl, Ph.D., and Denise Mattar, curator of the West Encounters East (WEE) exhibit and former director of São Paulo Modern Art Museum and Rio de Janeiro Modern Art Museum. Stahl will speak on The Japanese Beauty of Shadows which addresses the Japanese cultural aesthetic as it relates to light and dark, and Mattar will speak about Japanese immigration to Brazil and will also introduce the works of seven Latin American artists with Asian heritage: Cristina Sá, Takashi Fukushima, Yutaka Toyota, Kazuo Okubo, Megumi Yuasa, Valeria Yamamoto and Guillermo Ueno. Reception will follow presentations at 8 p.m. RSVP please.

Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m.

WIZO will welcome John R. Bolton, the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Radio/TV Host and Author Glenn Beck (pictured) for its Annual Gala Dinner. Beck, one of America’s leading multi-media personalities, hosts The Glenn Beck Program, the third highest rated radio program in America. He's written seven #1 New York Times bestsellers in both fiction and non-fiction, and his talk show on the FOX News Channel averaged over 2 million viewers during its two and a half-year run. WIZO will honor Glenn Beck with its Shomrei Award for his ardent defense of the State of Israel. Also known as a true friend to the Jewish people, Ambassador John R. Bolton is one of America’s most prominent policy voices, a lawyer and diplomat who has spent his career fighting to preserve American sovereignty. Bolton will share his views on how the global economy is affected by foreign government policies, threats to U.S. national security and how business, investors and government need to respond. Ambassador Bolton is currently a foreign policy senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and is an active member of the Friends of Israel Initiative. The event will be moderated by Jerry Levine and is chaired by Jana and Simon Falic. At the dinner Dr. & Mrs. Irving Moskowitz will receive WIZO's Joseph Handleman Humanitarian Award for 2012. Dinner couvert is $250 p/p, and sponsorship tickets and tables are available.

Thursday - Monday, February 16 - 20

Seventy international galleries will participate in Art Wynwood | International Contemporary Art Fair, a five day fair showcasing curated indoor and outdoor projects,art video and new media, solo exhibitions and conceptual art. The focus will be on primary artists and select secondary market works. An advisory committee will be in place to assist in the vetting of gallery programs assuring that the quality of art will be on a similar level to Art Miami. Art Wynwood will continue to distinguish the Wynwood Arts District as a leading international cultural destination in Miami where art, fashion, design and the culinary arts intersect. VIP Preview is on Thurs from 6 to 10 p.m.; show hours are Fri - Sun from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Mon from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $15 for one-day pass ($45 including catalog); students (12-18), seniors and groups $10; multi-day pass is $30 ($60 with catalog). Click for more show information.

Thursday, February 16 at 5:30 p.m.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation will confer its prestigious Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award on renowned author, educator and attorney Alan M. Dershowitz at The Main Event, a special evening benefiting the 2012 Federation/UJA Campaign. Chaired this year by Stephanie and Jules Trump, The Main Event is Federation's largest annual community-wide event, raising funds to help people in need in Miami, in Israel and in more than 70 other countries around the world. More than 1,200 guests attend The Main Event each year. The Friend of Israel Humanitarian Award is presented to an individual or couple in recognition of exemplary, long-term commitment to the welfare of the people and State of Israel. Dershowitz, a masterful advocate for Israel and the Jewish people, is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is internationally known for his unwavering support of Israel, his stance against terror, and his vocal defense of Israel’s right to safeguard itself. He also has been a leading opponent of divestment from Israel, and the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement. A prolific author, Dershowitz has published 27 independent works and more than 100 articles in newspapers, magazines and journals. Dershowitz is considered one of America’s most successful lawyers and influential Jews. He has advised presidents, United Nations officials, members of Congress, and state and local politicians, and business leaders about legal and political issues. Event couvert is $95 per person over the age of 30 with a suggested minimum gift of $1,000 to the 2012 Federation/UJA Campaign. For those age 30 and under, couvert is $54 per person with a suggested minimum gift of $365 to the 2012 Campaign. Call for reservations and more information or visit the website.

Saturday - Monday, February 18, 19 & 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival® returns this President’s Day weekend to inspire your imagination for visual, culinary and performing arts. The three-day event will bring the most talented and creative artists from all over the world to Coconut Grove for the #1 outdoor fine arts festival in the nation. Browse the nearly mile-long selection of booths and see an array of work, including mixed media, painting, photography, digital art, printmaking & drawing, watercolor, ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry & metalwork, sculpture and wood. The Festival’s
popular Culinary Pavilion offers nationally-renowned chefs preparing their famous dishes and sharing their specialties. In addition, every afternoon musicians will entertain continuously from the main stage located in Peacock Park. Admission to the Arts Festival is $10 per person, per day, and residents in the 33133 zip code can enjoy the Festival for a reduced admission of $5 (proof of residency required). Children 12 and under are free. Visit the website for more information and to purchase tickets online.

Saturday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m.

An Event Clearly Out of this World is the title for this year's Galaxy Gala, Miami Science Museum’s annual signature event. Founded in 2003 by Board Chairs Trish & Dan Bell, this year’s tenth gala event will be an exciting, exceptional evening showcasing the 60+ year mission of Miami Science Museum and its new $275 million Museum waterfront project, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in downtown Miami adjacent to the American Airlines Arena. Surrounded by radiant white and extraterrestrial luminous beams, you'll begin the evening with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Dinner and dancing to live music follows accompanied by a dazzling laser experience. At 10 p.m. the Galaxy Gala will transform into the Big Bang, a high-energy dance party designed to integrate young professionals to the event, running until 2 a.m. Gala Committee & Event Chairmen for the Galaxy Gala are Nancy & Jonathan M. Batchelor and Nicole & Edgar M. Lozano. The Batchelor Foundation will serve as the 10th Anniversary Honorary Chair, and Trish & Dan Bell will serve as the event's Philanthropic Chairs. For more information or to purchase tickets contact Ruth Robinson.

Saturday, February 18 at 6:30 p.m.

The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation will celebrate its 38th anniversary with one of South Florida's most popular gala events. The Love and Hope Ball attracts South Florida's most philanthropic families, celebrities and more for each year's extraordinary black-tie gala. The evening begins with a grand cocktail reception set amid spectacular décor, followed by a sumptuous dinner, dancing, and a special concert by Barry Gibb. The event supports the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute. For more information or to be placed on the invitation list, please call the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. Pictured: DRIF Executive Chairman Sandra Levy and Life Chairman Sonja Zuckerman.

Friday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m.

The New World Symphony Gala kicks off the Academy Awards™ weekend with An Evening of Suspense: Music and Scenes from Films of Alfred Hitchcock, a spectacular celebration inspired by one of Hollywood’s most legendary directors. Join Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony on a suspense-filled musical journey through Hitchcock’s classic films, presented with live orchestral accompaniment. Enjoy Welcome Cocktails at 6:30 p.m., the concert at 7:30, and a seated dinner staged throughout various spaces within the New World Center, which will be transformed for the occasion into a cinematic playground, evoking the golden age of Hollywood and sophisticated allure of Film Noir. In addition to delectable cuisine and enchanting décor, special musical interludes will be performed by the New World Symphony Fellows. Then at 10 p.m. everyone will return to the Performance Hall, transported back in time to a 1940s jazz club, ready to dance the night away. The Gala Host Committee members are Louis Aguirre, Sarah Arison, Matthew and Jennifer Buttrick, Adam and Chanin Carlin, Chad and Ilona Oppenheim, Clara Sredni and Mitchell and Elizabeth Taylor.
Single tickets are $1,250, and tables are $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000. All proceeds will benefit New World Symphony and its mission of preparing gifted young musicians for careers in professional orchestras, while providing meaningful cultural programs to the South Florida community.

Saturday, February 25 at 7 p.m.

Known as the spark that ignited Miami as an international art center, the Museum of Contemporary Art will celebrate its many accomplishments with a 15th Anniversary Gala. The event is cause to take notice of the museum’s impact in South Florida and to kick off its future with the expansion that will double its overall size and triple its exhibition space. Promised to be the social event of the season, led by honorary chairs Irma and Norman Braman, many of the world’s top collectors will attend. The experience will be uniquely MOCA to celebrate the many contemporary artists who are part of its illustrious history, including Cory Arcangel, Richard Artschwager, John Baldessari, Jose Bedia, Hernan Bas, William Cordova, Thomas Demand, Peter Doig, Tracey Emin, Teresita Fernandez, Claire Fontaine, Dara Friedman, Ellen Gallagher, Luis Gispert, Adler Guerrier, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Mark Handforth, Isaac Julien, Karen Kilimnik, Christian Marclay, Malcolm Morley, Ernesto Neto, Albert Oehlen, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, Roxy Paine, Bert Rodriguez, Ed Ruscha, Anri Sala, Shinique Smith, Frank Stella and Bruce Weber, among others. Collectors Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz and Irma and Norman Braman are chairing the 15th Anniversary Collection, scheduled to be unveiled as part of the celebration. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Cheryl Lawko.
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Wednesday - Sunday, March 7 - 11

Support the local South Florida charitable community by purchasing tickets to the Cadillac Championship at Doral through Tickets Fore Charity. Watch the world's best golfers try to tame the TPC Blue Monster and celebrate the 50th anniversary of championship golf at Doral! Purchase tickets online, and 100% of the net proceeds will benefit your charity of choice. Simply click on the Buy Tickets link when you visit the site. Want to get your charity involved? Call Dan Chelel with the PGA Tour at 201-455-6082.