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AllianceFrançaise
Chicago’s French cultural and learning center
dedicated to the study of French language and cultural exchange between Americans and French speaking peoples
Activités culturelles
Alors, qui êtes-vous ? : Jacques Derrida,
Deconstruction, and the Question of Hospitality
by Michael Naas
Thursday, January 20 / 6:00 P.M.
Free for Members; Non-Members: $5
In English
To reserve please call (312) 337 1070
Algerian-born French philosopher
Jacques Derrida has had
an enormous impact on
intellectual life around the
world. As President Chirac
stated, “with [Derrida], France
has given the world one of
its greatest contemporary
philosophers, one of the major
figures of the intellectual life
of our time.” Derrida, who died
in Paris on October 6, came
into prominence in America
with his critical methodology
of
deconstruction
which
was integrally related to
postmodernism.
Michael Naas, professor of philosophy at DePaul
University, will address several aspects of Derrida’s
life, work, and legacy. More specifically, he will focus
on some of Derrida’s most recent works on hospitality,
particularly in relationship to language.
Naas has translated several of Derrida’s books including
the soon to be published, Rogues, Stanford University
Press and is author of Taking on the Tradition: Jacques
Derrida and the Legacies of Deconstruction.
See page 5 for details on screening of Derrida Ailleurs.
Jean-Michel Frodon
Jeudi 17 février / 18h
Entrée gratuite pour les membres de l’Alliance
Française; Non-membres : $5
En français
Pour réserver, appeler le (312) 337 1070
L’Alliance Française est heureuse d’accueillir JeanMichel Frodon, directeur de la rédaction des Cahiers
du Cinéma. Il nous parlera de la notion d’« exception
culturelle », née d’une vision politique et d’une
volonté esthétique. La défense du cinéma a été
à l’origine d’un ensemble de pratiques politiques
articulées par le milieu artistique et la société civile,
pratiques qui touchent désormais des domaines plus
divers (télévision, radio, bibliothèques…). Ainsi, au nom
d’une « idée française » du cinéma s’est développée la
défense des cinémas du monde: il faut bien reconnaître
que la notion d‘ « exception culturelle » constitue
aussi une alternative au modèle d’Hollywood.
Jean-Michel Frodon a d’abord
été
é d u c a t e u r,
puis
photographe avant de
rejoindre l’hebdomadaire Le
Point (1983–1990) comme
journaliste et critique de
cinéma. Il a ensuite intégré
l’équipe de rédaction du
quotidien Le Monde toujours
comme critique de cinéma
puis, en 1994, comme
responsable de la rubrique
cinéma. Il est directeur de
la rédaction des Cahiers du
Cinéma depuis juillet 2003.
Une réception suivra la
conférence.
Photo courtesy of First Run/Icarus Film
Les Scandales en Sculpture au Musée d’Orsay
Samedi, 19 février / 11h
Entrée gratuite pour les membres de l’Alliance
Française ; Non membres : $5
Conférence avec projection de diapositives.
En français, English translation provided
Pour réserver, appeler le (312) 337 1070
L’Alliance Française, en partenariat avec le Consulat
Général de France, est heureuse d’accueillir Anne
Pingeot, conservateur en Chef du Département
des Sculptures du Musée d’Orsay. Mme. Pingeot
nous présentera plusieurs chefs-d’œuvre du
Musée d’Orsay, qui ont fait scandale au moment
de leur exposition au public, sans jamais le laisser
indifférent. Tout en nous promenant à travers les
galeries du Musée, nous étudierons les textes de
quelques grands écrivains qui nous permettront de
replacer ces œuvres dans leur époque.
Ne manquez pas cette occasion exceptionnelle !
810 North Dearborn Street · Chicago, IL 60610 / USA · tel: 312 337 1070 · fax: 312 337 3019 · www.afchicago.com
JANVIER/FEVRIER 2005
USA
CHICAGO
AllianceFrançaise
USA
CHICAGO
JANVIER–FEVRIER 2005
Activités culturelles
Activités culturelles
Save the Dates for the
2005 Decorative Arts Symposium:
Marie-Antoinette
Queen of France and Patron of the Arts.
From Mojito to Margaux: wine and cheese pairings
inspired by Hemingway
Slide and lecture presentation followed by wine and
cheese pairings
Wednesday, February 23 / 6:00 – 8:00 P.M.
Cosmopolitan Bank, 801 N. Clark St. (Clark & Chicago)
Members: $25; Non-Members: $30
RSVP no later than Friday, February 18
to (312) 337 1070—Space is limited!
Ernest Hemingway proclaimed that ”Wine is the most civilized
thing in the world”. Of course, we agree, which is why we’ve
invited one of the most civilized sommeliers in the world, Robert
Bansberg to pair the aperitifs and wines Hemingway loved
most from his legendary travels through France and Spain with
the perfect complement of cheeses. And in order to amuse your
mind as well as your palette, Robert Bansberg and a speaker
from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park will make
a presentation on Hemingway’s particular joie de vivre. Join
us for an evening that will create an atmosphere of both the
Latin Quarter of Paris and the sunny vitality of Spain. Robert
Bansberg is currently a sommelier at Ambria and a faculty
member at the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in
Evanston and the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago.
Three-lecture symposium
(series and single tickets):
Wednesday, March 30 / 7:30 P.M.
or Thursday, March 31 / 11:30 A.M.
Alain Gruber, Swiss art historian and independant consultant
will provide historical and biographical information on
Marie Antoinette, her decorative interiors, and far-reaching
influence as a patron of the arts.
He was named “The Best Sommelier in Chicago” in Food & Wine (July,
2000) and “Best Sommelier” in Chicago Magazine (August, 2000).
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Cosmopolitan
Bank and Trust for once again sponsoring and hosting an evening
in which all proceeds will benefit the Alliance Française.
Thursday, April 28 / 11:30 A.M.
Eleanor DeLorme, Wellesley College, will continue to shape
our portrait of Marie-Antoinette and showcase her many
contributions to the decorative arts, including her garden
pavilions and use of gardens as decorative rooms. Book signing:
Garden Pavilions and the 18th Century French Court.
The Children’s Education Center
Open House / Portes Ouvertes
Saturday, February 5 / 3:30–5:30 P.M.
Free admission. Call to reserve (312) 337 1070
Aileen Ribeiro, Courtauld Institute of Art, London will
examine the role played by Marie-Antoinette as arbiter of
taste and style in fashion. Book signing: Dress in Eighteenth
Century Europe 1715–1789.
The award-winning firm architectureisfun has transformed over 1,000
sq. feet on our third floor into a
learning environment quite unlike
any other in the city. Six different
activity centers encourage making, listening, learning, looking,
teaching, and exploring the different countries, peoples,
and regions of the world from a French and Francophone
perspective. Our immersion teaching program uses activities to
make learning fun and engaging for children—like yours!
Registration and ticket options:
Patron Series ticket: $350, includes all three lectures,
each followed by a luncheon with the speaker.
Patron Single ticket: $125, includes one lecture and
luncheon with the speaker.
Regular Series ticket: $100, includes all three lectures.
Regular Single ticket: $45, includes one lecture.
Register early! Space is limited.
A bientôt.
courtesy, architectureisfun, Inc.
Children who come to the Alliance
Française now have a floor all
to themselves!
Please join us on Saturday, February 5th for a tour of our new
center, information on children’s classes and our summer camp,
and of course, delicious snacks.
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Wednesday, May 25 / 11:30 A.M.
For reservations please call the Alliance Française at
312 337 1070.
For questions please call Norah Delaney, Director of
Cultural Programs at 312 337 1070 ext. 112
JANVIER–FEVRIER 2005
Gourmet Dinner, Drinks, and Demonstration
Myriam Bransfield French Culinary Experiences
If you’re interested in learning the secrets of French cuisine, our
program, “Gourmet Dinner, Drinks, and Demonstration” is the
perfect evening. Every month the Alliance Française features
an interactive cooking demonstration by Chefs from some of
the best French restaurants in Chicago. Guests learn how to
prepare a three-course meal, in English, in our state-of-theart kitchen, in an intimate setting (maximum capacity is 24).
Of course, French wine and interesting conversation are always
included. Once each course is prepared every guest is welcome
to enjoy the chef’s creations.
Please note that all cancellations not made at least 48 hours
prior to the demonstration will be subject to a $15 cancellation
fee. We do not accept cancellations the day of the program.
Chef Eric Kendrick of Tournesol
Wednesday, February 9 / 6:00 P.M.
Members: $45; Non-Members: $55
Call to reserve (312) 337 1070—Space is limited!
Don’t miss this special opportunity to spend an evening with
Tournesol’s Executive Chef, Eric Kendrick. Eric has honed his
culinary skills at such Chicago restaurants as Hotel Nikko, Park
Avenue Café, and Green Dolphin Street. He then went on to
spend three years studying authentic French culinary techniques
in Lyon, France, the gastronomic capital of the world. There he
worked with famed Michelin star chefs and spent some time at
Paul Bocuse’s Brasserie le Sud. Chef Erik’s cooking philosophy
combines French techniques with seasonal ingredients creating
an authentic neighborhood bistro experience which can be
enjoyed at Tournesol, 4343 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.
Price includes demonstration, food, and French wine.
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Buffet en fête
Cooking Lessons with Madelaine Bullwinkel
One-day workshops in English
Saturdays, January 8, 15, or 29 / 9:30 A.M.–12:00 P.M.
Members: $55; Non-Members: $65; Lab Fee: $15
Madelaine has been teaching French cooking techniques for
over twenty-seven years at Chez Madelaine Cooking School
in Hinsdale, Illinois. She interprets classic French cuisine and
instills every student with an understanding of the basics and a
confidence to bring the techniques home to their own kitchens.
Each two-hour interactive class is followed by thirty minutes of
informal dining. Students have a choice of three different classes.
Crêpes: Sweet and Savory (Saturday, January 8)
Everyone tries their hand with a crêpe pan in this interactive
workshop. Students will make stacks of savory, sweet, and
original buckwheat crêpes. The buckwheat will be rolled with
smoked salmon, the savory crêpes will be filled with mushroom
and spinach fillings, and the sweet crêpes will be stuffed with
oven-browned apples. Complementary sauces will complete the
morning’s work after which students can enjoy their elegant
all-crêpe menu.
Galette des rois (Saturday, January 15)
The day of the Epiphany is just the beginning of our celebration
of la galette des rois (Twelfth-night cake). Students will make
several versions of this venerable pastry: a crispy Parisian puff
pastry galette filled with frangipane, a Norman galette filled
with jam and cream, and a brioche galette from Provence. All
of our gâteaux will contain the traditional fêve and will be
served with sparkling wine.
Onion Soup/Tarte Tatin (Saturday, January 29)
Menu
Smoked Salmon, pickled red onions,
crème fraiche and crêpes Vonnassiennes
Saumon fumé avec oignons rouges au vinaigre,
crème fraîche et crêpes Vonnassiennes
Roasted noisette of lamb over flageolet beans,
shallot confit and thyme jus
Noisette d’agneau rôtie sur lit de flageolets,
confit d’échalottes et jus au thym
Lavender Pots de Crème with
orange supremes and honey Madeleines
Pots de Crème à la lavande avec suprème d’orange
et Madeleines au miel
The perfect winter evening meal is easy to prepare when
you have the right ingredients. The stock for our onion
soup will come from the kitchen of Chef Bernard Cretier
(Le Vichyssois, Lakemoor, IL). And for dessert, the students
will learn how to prepare the apples for the Tarte Tatin and
then top it all off with a puff pastry that’s all ready to go.
To make this meal a little easier to duplicate, each student
can take home a pint of Chef Cretier’s frozen stock.
Des nouvelles de l’école…
Learn French this Winter!
January 10 – March 19 2005
Registration and free oral placement are
currently available by phone and on site.
View the course brochure on
line at www.afchicago.com
or call and request one at
(312) 337 1070
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AllianceFrançaise
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Médiathèque/Library
La médiathèque bouge! Our list of new DVDs continues
to expand. Take home recent successes like The Big Blue,
Brotherhood of the Wolf, and The Girl from Paris. Too busy
to watch a film? Check out a newspaper or magazine to read
on the bus. We carry Le Monde, Le Figaro, Paris Match, Elle,
Terre Sauvage and many others. Back issues of periodicals now
circulate for 2 weeks.
N’oubliez pas:
• Donations of used French books are always welcome and help
support our collection.
• Returns are accepted in the reception area as well as in the library.
• Please direct comments and questions to Renée Saito, Director of
the Resource Center, at (312) 337 5473 or rsaito@afchicago.com
• Hotpoint wireless Internet access is now available at the
Alliance Française for a nominal fee—inquire at the front desk.
Café Conversation I
We are always ready to welcome new members to this
conversation group. Topics vary from week to week.
Free for Members; Non-Members $3.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced French; Location: Room 207
Day: Tuesday, weekly; Time: 4 – 5:00 P.M.
Café Conversation II
Due to overwhelming popular demand, this café is now available
for the after-work crowd. You’ll find plenty of opportunities
to practice your French in a non-threatening environment.
Free for Members; Non-Members $3.
Level: Beginning to intermediate French; Location: Library
Day: Wednesday, twice per month; Time: 6:30 –7:30 P.M.
Dates: January 12 and 26. February 9 and 23.
Café Littérature
Join us as we examine the works of recent Prix Goncourt winners.
You’ll find like-minded people who are passionate about
contemporary French literature. Books are discussed over two
sessions and members alternate facilitating. Wine is served.
Level: Advanced French
Location: Lounge
Day: Monday; Time: 5:30 – 7:00 P.M.
January 24: Tout est passé si vite by Jean-Noël Pancrazi.
February 28: Quatre soldats by Hubert Mingarelli.
Café Théâtre
Practice your French in this group that welcomes new members
regardless of prior experience. Participants rotate reading the
play and talking briefly about its author. Each play is discussed
over two sessions. Wine is served.
Level: Advanced French; Location: Lounge
Day: Monday; Time: 5:30 – 7:30 P.M.
January 3 & January 17: Les belles sœurs by Michel Tremblay
February 7 & February 21: Le balcon by Jean Genet
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JANVIER–FEVRIER 2005
Café Philosophique with Professor Souleymane Diagne
Dr. Souleymane Diagne, professor of philosophy, religion, and
African studies at Northwestern University, facilitates discussion
in his approachable style. Topics are determined according to
the interests of the group and a light snack is provided.
Level: Advanced French; Location: Library
Day: Day varies, once per month;
Time: 6–7:00 P.M. ; Date: January 25 and February 22.
Café Poésie
Isaac Cohen, Professor at Northwestern University, animates Café
Poésie. His love of French poetry sets the tone for this group,
which provides a great way to improve your comprehension of
spoken French. Wine is served.
Level: Advanced French; Location: Library
Day: Monday, once per month; Time: 6–7:00 P.M.
Date: January 17 and February 14.
Are you up to our
‘2 for 1’ Challenge?
Contribute now to our Children’s Education Center (CEC)
and have your gift increased by the CEC Challenge Fund.
The Alliance Française has raised 89% of the construction
cost to build our unique Children’s Center,
and we applaud the generosity of all the donors
who have brought us this far.
We are now in the final stage of our fundraising efforts
and need your help!
To that end, the CEC Challenge Fund was created by several
very generous Board Members. Every gift of $2 will be
matched with $1 from the $10,000 CEC Fund. For example,
if you contribute $100 the CEC Fund will contribute $50.
For every donation over $500, we will create a hanging
vocabulary disc acknowledging your gift that will
permanently adorn the entryway to the Children’s Center.
A French word of your choice, the picture it represents, and
your name will be illustrated on the disc.
Please consider being a part of our new Children’s Center!
For more information, please contact our
Development office at
312 337 1070 ext. 110.
JANVIER–FEVRIER 2005
Ciné Club
For the months of January and February, we will examine
two different sides of French cinema. In January we will be
screening two exemplary films from the short-lived “cinéma du
look” movement of the 1980s: Jean-Jacques Beneix’s Diva and
Leos Carax’s Mauvais Sang. In February, in anticipation of our
annual Francophonie celebration in March, we will present two
African francophone films: Abderrahmane Sissako’s Waiting For
Happiness and Moussa Sene Absa’s Tableau Feraille. These films
examine Africa’s inner conflict of identity: Westernized “modern”
Africa vs. traditional Africa. In addition, we’ve added a screening
of a film about Jacques Derrida to coincide with a January 20th
lecture on this important French philosopher and author.
Diva
Jean-Jacques Beneix’s debut feature, Diva (1981), was a surprise
international box office smash and kicked off what French
critics called the “cinéma du look”. Diva’s assertive style, playful
editing, chunks of bold color, and shimmering textures make
it a French contemporary of such ambitious 1980s Hollywood
films as Francis Ford Coppola’s One From The Heart and Ridley
Scott’s Blade Runner. The story is pure postmodern potboiler: a
young French bike messenger (Frédéric Andrei), infatuated with
an American opera singer (Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez),
ends up being chased by Taiwanese music pirates and a team
of underworld assassins. There is a motorcycle chase in the Paris
métro, a bit of philosophy, and lots of great opera music.
In French with English subtitles—118 minutes
Wednesday, January 12 / 7:15 P.M.
Derrida Ailleurs / Derrida’s Elsewhere
Egyptian-born filmmaker, Sasaa Fathy sensitively explores the
parallels between the personal life and the literary works of
arguably the most important philosopher of the 20th Century,
Jacques Derrida. Readings are interwoven with related footage
of the places Derrida knew in his childhood and adolescence in
Algeria, in addition to photos of his childhood, super-8 footage
from the 1960’s and 70’s, and images from Spain. Filmmaker
Fathy’s goal is to expose the links between Derrida’s life and
his work. By producing images that let us catch a glimpse of
Derrida’s world, she successfully wraps his literary concepts in a
personal context that enlightens and entertains.
In French with English subtitles- 68 minutes
Wednesday, January 19 / 7:15 P.M.
See page 1 for details for lecture on Derrida
Mauvais sang / Bad Blood
For his second film, Bad Blood (1986), 25-year-old director Los
Carax teamed the unforgettable Denis Levant (a pug-faced
former acrobat who appeared in Carax’s debut Boy Meets
Girls) with Juliette Binoche, Michel Piccoli, and Before Sunset’s
Julie Delpy (making her debut). The result was an intoxicating,
visually dazzling mix of romance, crime thriller, and pure
poetry. Like Beneix’s films, Bad Blood owed something to the
New Hollywood, MTV, and advertising, but it also calls to mind
the films of Jean-Luc Godard, French realism of the 1930s,
AllianceFrançaise
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American film noir, and the wordless tenderness of silent film.
The film climaxes in an extended nighttime encounter between
Levant and Binoche that you will never forget.
In French with English subtitles—125 minutes
Wednesday, January 26 / 7:15 P.M.
Tableau Feraille
This film almost serves as an adaptation of a Greek tragedy. Set
in Senegal, Absa presents us with the modernized vs. traditional
Africa conflict in the form of two women. Daam, a young wellintentioned yet naïve politician has just recently been elected
to political office. He marries Gagnesiri, a beautiful traditional
African woman. Soon after the marriage, he learns that
Gagnesiri cannot bear him a child, and therefore marries Kiné, a
modern, western-educated woman with her own self-interests.
Daam falls from grace as a result of betrayal and corruption by
his political associates and his modern wife, Kiné. Throughout
the film commentary is provided by a singing, blue-robed
Islamic sect, functioning as Greek chorus. Complex, emotional,
and beautiful, this film leaves the viewer with many questions.
In French and Wolof with English subtitles—92 minutes
Wednesday, February 2 / 7:15 P.M.
Waiting for Happiness
Set in Mauritania, northern neighbor to Absa’s Senegal,
Abderrahmane Sissako’s film apprehensively examines Africa’s
progression towards modernity. As the film begins, we follow
Abdallah as he returns to his small town, in Western clothes. He
is led through the village by Khatra, a young curious orphan.
With minimal dialogue, the film is a beautiful series of images
and situations in which we see, and Abdallah sees, the effects
of modernization.
In French, Hassanya, and Japanese with English
subtitles—90 minutes
Friday, February 18 / 7:15 P.M.
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2004
INTERNSHIPS AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE
The Alliance Française de Chicago’s internship program allows
a diverse group of people to experience working for a FrenchAmerican non-profit organization. Whether it’s in the library,
cultural programs, development, or helping with business
administration, interns learn the daily operation of the Alliance
while being immersed in a bilingual environment. But why take
our word for it, this is what our interns have to say:
Isabelle Ricouard J’aime le mélange du français et de l’américain
tous les jours. C’est apprendre une culture étrangère tout en
douceur ! C’est une expérience enrichissante d’un point de vue
relationnel. Beaucoup de contacts avec plein de gens d’horizons
différents, c’est très formateur !
Jie Pan One of the many important things I have learned is how
a not-for-profit cultural organization is run.
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Lundi
Mardi
Mercredi
Jeudi
Vendredi
Samedi
3 Janvier
Café Théâtre
4 Janvier
Café Conversation I
5 Janvier
6 Janvier
7 Janvier
8 Janvier
Buffet en fête
10 Janvier
Winter session begins
11 Janvier
Café Conversation I
14 Janvier
15 Janvier
Buffet en fête
17 Janvier
Café Théâtre
Café Poésie
24 Janvier
Café Littérature
18 Janvier
Café Conversation I
12 Janvier
13 Janvier
Café Conversation II
Ciné Club
19 Janvier
20 Janvier
Ciné club, Derrida Ailleurs Michael Naas
on Jacques Derrida
26 Janvier
27 Janvier
Café Conversation II
Ciné Club
3 Février
2 Février
Ciné Club
21 Janvier
22 Janvier
28 Janvier
29 Janvier
Buffet en fête
4 Février
31 Janvier
25 Janvier
Café Conversation I
Café Philosophique
1 Février
Café Conversation I
7 Février
Café Théâtre
8 Février
Café Conversation I
14 Février
Café Poésie
15 Février
Café Conversation I
21 Février
Café Théâtre
22 Février
Café Conversation I
Café Philosophique
28 Février
Café Littérature
9 Février
Cooking Demonstration
Café Conversation II
16 Février
23 Février
From Mojito to
Margaux…
Café Conversation II
10 Février
11 Février
5 Février
Children’s Center
Open House
12 Février
17 Février
Conférence Jean-Michel
Frodon
24 Février
18 Février
Ciné Club
19 Février
Conférence Anne Pingeot
25 Février
26 Février
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810 North Dearborn St · Chicago, IL 60610 / USA
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Chicago, IL
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AllianceFrançaise
• Unless indicated otherwise, all programs take place at 54 West Chicago Avenue
• Programs are subject to change · for the latest information call 312 337 1070
Plea
The success of the Alliance
Française cultural season is a
result of the generosity of its
donors. Merci beaucoup!
Janvier–Février