Hermione Sails Again: A Celebration of French-American Relations

In 1997, a group of enthusiasts realized their dream as construction began on a full-size, fully operational replica of the French frigate Hermione. They hoped to recreate not only the ship, but its historical voyage to the United States, as Lafayette had done two centuries before during the American Revolution. Using original blueprints from Hermione’s sister ship La Concorde and the contributions of over three million donors, the project required 1200 tons of wood and thousands of hours of construction. Asselin, the woodworking company responsible for the construction of the vessel, posted photos of the building process here. You can see more photos here.

This animation shows how Rochefort’s dry dock technique worked. Developed in 1683 by Pierre Arnoul, this technique was how the original Hermione’s hull would have been worked on. Arnoul’s dry dock, and two others, still stand today at Rochefort.

The frigate was finally completed in 2011 and launched in 2012, and in 2013, masting took place and Hermione’s captain was selected. September 7, 2014 began Hermione’s sea trials.

In this photo, Hermione is flanked by her fans in modern boats as she leaves Rochefort for her first sea trial September 7, 2014.

Click here for a video of her departure.

The next landmark in Hermione’s story is her return voyage to the United States, expected to take place in April 2015. She will stop at ports in Yorktown, Mount Vernon, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston before her final stop in Castine, Maine on Bastille Day. She will then return to France.

Check out Hermione’s French website here and her English site here. Poitou-Charentes’ tourism site also has details on the ship’s historically accurate finishing touches, as well as events happening this year.

To learn more about other historical frigates and how they were built click here. Visit here to explore American revolutionary vessels that sailed when the original Hermione did. Notice that, by the late 1770s, many of the ships in the American fleet have French names or were even French themselves and only loaned to the Americans. Now that's cultural exchange!

A l'Alliance Française de Charlottesville, un nouveau catalogue numérique pour la bibliothèque

Par : Nicholas Bader

Ce mois, des bénévoles à l’AFC ont terminé un projet ambitieux qui a commencé fin juillet. Le déménagement de l’Alliance au nouveau bureau a nécessité un grand travail concernant les nombreux livres qui appartiennent à l’organisation. Grâce aux efforts de plusieurs membres de l’AFC, on a mis en place un nouveau système d’organisation dans la bibliothèque qui permet aux adhérents de rechercher des livres par nom d’auteur, genre et titre. En plus, depuis notre installation sur Harris Street, les adhérents à l’AFC peuvent désormais emprunter des livres plus facilement grâce au nouveau catalogue numérique de nos collections. Quiconque peut maintenant fouiller la base de données sur le site officiel de l’Alliance française de Charlottesville (en format .pdf), organisée par auteur et genre, ou bien en consultant le catalogue sur support papier.

La bibliothèque en chiffres :

·         La bibliothèque comporte plus de 1 300 livres que les adhérents peuvent désormais emprunter à travers notre système numérique

·         Notre collection est divisée en 15 catégories, y compris:

o   Adolescents

o   Art / cinéma / musique / photographie

o   Biographies

o   Contes / récits / nouvelles

o   Guides de voyage

o   Gastronomie

o   Histoire

o   Littérature et civilisation africaines

o   Littérature / philosophie

o   Livres divers

o   Livres en anglais

o   Livres surdimensionnées

o   Poésie

o   Romans

o   Théâtre

·         Tout adhérant à l’AFC a le droit d’emprunter deux (2) livres à la fois pendant une période de cinq (5) semaines.

Enfin, mille remerciements sont destinés à Anne Ferre, membre du conseil d’administration de l’AFC et premier organisateur de la bibliothèque, qui a rendu possible ce grand travail.

Profitez-bien de notre bibliothèque (mise à jour), et bonne rentrée !

The Alliance Française de Charlottesville Revamps Its Library

By: Nicholas Bader

           This month, volunteers at the AFC have completed an ambitious project that began this past July. The Alliance, which recently moved to the current Harris Street office, had a large task at hand in regards to its vast collection of books in French. Thanks to the efforts of several volunteers, we have been able to implement a new organizational system that allows members to search our collections by category, author name, and title. In addition, members are now able to more easily check out books using our digital database. Those interested may now access our collections (in .pdf format) on the official website of the AFC, or simply by consulting the hard-copy catalog in the library. 

The library in numbers:

·         The library is composed of over 1,300 titles that members may check out thanks to our digitalized system.

·         Our collection is made up of 15 categories (genres), including

o   Young adult

o   Art / film / music / photography

o   Biography

o   Short stories / fables

o   Travel guides

o   Food / wine

o   History

o   African literature and civilization

o   Literature and philosophy

o   Miscellaneous books

o   Books in English

o   Oversized books

o   Poetry

o   Novels

o   Drama

·         Members of l’AFC are able to check out up to two (2) books at a time for a period of five (5) weeks.

Finally, many thanks go out to Anne Ferre, board member and chief organizer of the AFC’s library, who made this fantastic work possible.

To all of our members – enjoy the revamped library, and have a happy month of September!

Conversation and Musical Moments with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil

The Tony Award-winning creators of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, will visit the University of Virginia. 

On Tuesday, September 30, at 6:30 pm in the Culbreth Theatre, they will talk with Professor Marva Barnett about the musical-theater world and the process of composing the music and writing the libretto for the international sensation that is Les Misérables. The University Singers, directed by Michael Slon, will open the program by performing several Boublil & Schönberg songs.

Tickets for this free event are available through the U.Va. Arts Box Office by phone, in person, or online, beginning September 2 (limit of 2 tickets per person): www.artsboxoffice.virginia.edu. Doors open at 6 pm. Please arrive to claim your ticket and seat prior to 6:15 pm, as unclaimed tickets will be released at 6:20 pmto patrons in the standby line. Free parking is available in the Culbreth Road Parking Garage after 5:00 pm.

Schönberg (left) and Boublil (right) will both meet on Tuesday with students and faculty in various courses, discussing their composition and libretto-writing experiences, as well as their musical careers in theater. Composer Claude-Michel Schönberg will continue such conversations on October 1.

Co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost & the Vice Provost for the Arts, Department of Drama, Department of Music, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Institute of the Humanities & Global Cultures, and the Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation.

Conversation and Musical Moments with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
Tuesday, September 30, 2014, at 6:30 pm
Culbreth Theatre, University of Virginia 

Contact: Marva Barnett, marva@virginia.edu, 434-982-2816

UVA Fralin Museum of Art Features French Artist Jacques Villon

You've probably heard of the artist Marcel Duchamp—the man who famously (or perhaps infamously) submitted a urinal titled Fountain to the French Society of Independent Artists as a challenge to the common definition of art—but you may be less familiar with his older brother, Jacques Villon.

Villon, born Emile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp in Haute-Normandie, France, set out to pursue a law degree at la Sorbonne, but was soon spending more time on his cartoons than on his studies. Once he committed to art in earnest, he devoted his time to painting and printmaking, as well as the etching and engraving he had enjoyed since adolescence. His early career features an impressionistic style influenced by Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, but his later and more notable pieces are more abstract; the mathematical take on cubism that he and his friends of the Puteaux Group developed marked a new direction for the style.

A small collection of Villon’s cubist prints are now on display at the University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art. The exhibition, which also features the abstract prints of Stanley William Hayter, will last until December 21, 2014.

Admission to the Fralin is free, though donations are welcome. Galleries are open Tuesday-Sunday 12-5, and on Final Fridays 5:30-7:30.

Une petite histoire de vin en France

Une petite histoire de vin en France 

écrit par Caleigh Erickson, stagiaire à l'AFC

Il est connu partout que quelques des plus superbes vins viennent de la France. Mais combien savons-nous vraiment du vin en France? Voilà quelques petits faits du vin en France.

-La France fabrique un plus grand quantité de vin que tous les autres pays du monde, ainsi que le plus grand variété de types de vin.

-La France était le premier pays d'établir des appellations d'origine contrôlées en 1935 pour protéger des pratiques et les locations géographiques de la fabrication du vin.

-Les Français consomment 60 litres de vin chacun chaque année.

-Un tiers du vin fabriqué en France est exporté, ce qui gagne plus que 10 milliard d'euros chaque année.

-Il y a 10 régions centraux en France pour fabriquer le vin.

-Il est estimé que la France fabrique le vin depuis le sixième siècle.

-La taille et la forme de la bouteille indiquent le type de vin dedans.

Le vin est une boisson qui est aimée partout dans le monde. Cependant, il y a beaucoup de pratiques qu'on ne connait pas à propos du vin. Maintenant, avec un peu d'une nouvelle connaissance, allez gouter des vins français, et recherchez plus d'information!

AFC delighted to welcome Radio Kaizman to Charlottesville!

RADIO KAIZMAN COMING TO CHARLOTTESVILLE ON THEIR US TOUR!

The Alliance Française of Charlottesville welcomes a visit from the Radio Kaizman band, from Villeurbanne, France, in the fall of 2014. Jean Eberhard, an AFC member who lives in Villeurbanne, and AFC Board member Anne Ferré have helped this band plan their tour of the United States.

Radio Kaizman has played over 50 concerts in festivals, community halls, bars, village celebrations and concert halls throughout France and for their German neighbours. Now it is a pleasure to welcome them to Charlottesville and this fun, lively band is coming to perform at several venues here in Charlottesville in October! Make sure to come to one of their concerts.

Radio Kaizman is deeply inspired by urban sound, by the groove and rhythm of New Orleans marching bands, accentuated by notes of swing and latin musical influences. To visit their website and listen to samples of their music click here.

RADIO KAIZMAN CHAROTTESVILLE DATES

Saturday, Oct 18 2pm

Venue: Ducard Vineyards

Saturday, Oct 18 8pm

Venue: Bon Café Theatre

Sunday,  October 19th

Venue: Alliance Française 700 Harris Street, 6 pm

Monday, Oct 20 2:00 pm

Venue: Charlottesville High School

Monday, Oct 20 7:00 pm

Venue: The Garage, Lee Square

Wednesday, October 22nd
Venue: Positive Vibes Café in Richmond

Thursday October 23 4-5pm

Venue: la Maison Française (UVA campus)

Thursday October 23rd

Venue: WTJU  Live Broadcast from 9:00 pm

Friday October 24

Venue: Downtown Mall, Parade, 4 pm

Venue: Live Arts 5:30-7:00 pm

Venue: C'ville Coffee 8 pm

Additional day time performances and workshops will take place for students, area High Schools, & UVA

Un point-de-vue français : La commémoration du 70 e anniversaire du Jour J

« Le président François Hollande dévoile un mémorial, dans le cadre des commémorations du 70e anniversaire du Débarquement en Provence, le 15 août 2014 au Mont Faron » (Photo Michel Euler. AFP)

Un point-de-vue français : La commémoration du 70 e anniversaire du Jour J

                                                       écrit par Eliza Brinkley

2014 a été une année marquée par de nombreuses célébrations et des rassemblements pour commémorer les invasions du Jour J en Normandie pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Une de ces célébrations était le rassemblement des vétérans et des dirigeants américains, britanniques, canadiens et allemands à Normandie pour faire honneur au 70e anniversaire de l’invasion. La cérémonie officielle a honoré plus de 4,000 troupes qui était tuées ce jour-là. 

La France et le gouvernement français ont joué un grand rôle dans les préparations pour l’événement. Président français François Hollande a accueilli de nombreux anciens combattants et des personnalités publiques importantes comme le président américain Barack Obama, le premier ministre britannique David Cameron, la chancelière allemande Angela Merkel et le premier ministre canadien Stephen Harper. Ils ont tous raconté les détails du 6 juin 1944 qui ont conduit à la première libération du territoire contrôlé par les Nazis par les forces américaines et alliées. 

François Hollande a parlé spécifiquement du rôle de la France pendant l’invasion et la guerre en général. Il a ajouté l’importance du débarquement en Provence en août 1944, un événement qui est souvent éclipsé par le Jour J. En parlant de cette date majeure, il a aussi fait référence aux villes côtières qui étaient libérées ce qui comprend Toulon, Marseillais et Cannes. Il a rendu hommage aux soldats des anciennes colonies françaises, soulignant l’importance de ces individus dans la victoire des Alliés et la force de l’armée française. 

Quinze dirigeants d’Afrique sont venus à Normandie pour l’occasion en tant que représentants de ces pays qui étaient autrefois colonisés par la France. En se référant à ces soldats étrangers, Hollande a remarqué que l’armée française n’était pas seulement l’armée de la France. Il a dit qu’il faut célébrer cette "armée mélangée, composite, cosmopolite, qui rassemblait à la fois ceux de Brest et ceux de Bamako, ceux de Londres et ceux de Dakar, ceux d'Alger et ceux de Fort-de-France."

L’image et la légende prises de :http://www.liberation.fr/societe/2014/08/15/13-chefs-d-etat-aux-cotes-de-francois-hollande-pour-le-debarquement-de-provence_1081050

Un café à emporter : How drinking coffee taught me how to live in a foreign country

Un café à emporter : How drinking coffee taught me how to live in a foreign country
Written by Caleigh Erickson, AFC intern

Between the months of January and May of this year, I lived and went to school in Montpellier, France. I had many expectations about how life would be during my time there, but I never realized just how much I would learn by calling a foreign country my home. I arrived bright-eyed and ready to experience it all, ready for a new school, a host family, and amazing travel opportunities. However, as I look back on those four months, it was some of the smaller, less monumental moments that taught me the biggest lessons. I am an avid coffee drinker, and was excited to live in a part of the world where "un café" comes with just about anything. However, I did not realize how such a simple practice could teach me about life in France.

Lesson 1: Slow down and sit down! 

Living in the busy, bustling United States, I was used to always taking my coffee to go and chugging it down in between school and work commitments. However, this is not how it is done in most of France. People typically buy their coffee, and then sit down in the café to enjoy at. I was looked at like I was an alien when I asked for a "to go" coffee, and forced to sit down like everyone else and drink it slowly. In the end, it taught me how to enjoy every moment of my time there instead of rushing through it like I do in the States. I embraced drinking coffee the French way, and learned much more through simply sitting down and enjoying my surroundings. This was a lesson I could apply to other parts of my time there. 

Lesson 2: You can't always have it your way. 

I could not be considered a "real coffee drinker" as I like to put cream and sugar in it to reduce the bitterness. However, many cafés in France make you pay extra if you want milk in your coffee, unless you ordered a café au lait, and not very much sugar is given. I had to learn to like my coffee the way they take it. Eventually, my tastes changed, and I actually preferred more bitter coffee! When you're living in a foreign country, very few things (if any) will be done the way you do them. In many ways, that can be the best part of living abroad! You can learn many things you would not normally learn if you did everything you way, and it challenges you to be flexible and open to new experiences. 

Lesson 3: Small talk is overrated!

I am an extrovert, and am used to meeting new people and socializing with strangers almost wherever I go. I was slightly disheartened when I would sit in a café for several hours and not a single person would acknowledge my presence, even after they heard me speaking english or could tell that I wasn't from there. Many of my efforts to make small talk were not entertained. However, it showed me that the most meaningful relationships for the French are those that are fostered over time and have more depth. There are very few "pointless" friendships and meaningless chatter is not supported. This taught me to pursue meaningful relationships while I was there, and to focus my time and energy on making real friends, instead of making small talk. Because of this, I walked away from my time abroad with a few great friends. 

AFC School News!

by Dr Helen Dunn, AF School Administrator & Executive Assistant

This summer has seen some pretty exciting changes at the Alliance Française!  As many of you already know, we have moved from West Main to our new location, 700 Harris Street.  Also known as the Silk Building, we are now situated beside the well-known Writer House and City Clay.  We know that being among these creative people will make the AFC an even better space for our Francophile persuasions!

August has seen this new space coming together.  From Mouna Smires’ photography, which hangs on our walls, to a library that is full of all titles big and small, we have made our new building work for us beautifully.  We also now have multiple classrooms, which has facilitated putting together our new class schedule featuring not only more courses but simultaneous class meetings.  This means more courses at our most popular meeting times.  It also means an ever-growing staff and membership. 

Right now, we are eagerly preparing for our September 3 Open House, where members will get to see our new home and come toast the beginning of a new academic year.  We want to see everyone there so that we can all enjoy these very positive changes together.  In the meantime, check our course schedule (which is online now) and sign up for something that tickles your fancy.  Learn French language, watch French movies, travel to France:  there’s something for everyone this fall!  Also, check out our new courses for younger members.  We now have French for High Schoolers and French Music, Culture, and Conversation for Kids.  We know these will be welcome additions to our offerings.  

Other exciting school news is that AF teacher Guy Domingo is currently in Besançon for a 6 week teacher training workshop. He will be able to visit his family while he is there as well. We can't wait to hear all about his experiences when he gets back!

As always, please contact us with any suggestions or requests for courses.  We will now be able to accommodate even more of our members’ needs with our larger space and faculty.  

Can’t wait to see you all in September!

Le Mobilier National

 

par Nicole Yancey, Alliance Française de Norfolk

Qui assure l'ameublement des demeures officielles de la République ?  Héritier du Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, le Mobilier National pourvoit à l'ameublement des résidences de la France.

Comment les distingue-t-on?  Elles doivent assurer un mission d'intérêt national.  Les dépôts sont limités à l'aménagement des pièces de réception.  Le Palais de l'Elysée, l'Hôtel Matignon, les diverses ambassades à l'étranger, les Ministères, les salons de réception lors des sommets internationaux hors de Paris sont des lieux meublés par les collections du Mobilier National.  Cela vise à mettre en valeur le prestige de la France.  Mais le Mobilier National s'occupe également du maintien et de la sauvegarde des pièces des collections.

Ce Mobilier National est rattaché depuis 1959 au Ministère français chargé des Affaires Culturelles et placé sous la Délégation aux Arts Plastiques de ce Ministère, avec également la Manufacture des Gobelins, la Manufacture de Beauvais, La Manufacture de la Savonnerie ainsi que les Ateliers Nationaux de dentelle du Puy et d'Alençon.  On doit à Henri IV la création d'un garde-meuble royal que Colbert transforma sous le nom de Garde-Robe de la Couronne.  Il fut installé dans un bâtiment spécialement créé qui est maintenant l'Hôtel de la Marine.

Supprimé à la Révolution, l'administration renaît sous le nom de Mobilier des Consuls, puis Mobilier Impérial.  Elle prît son nom actuel après la chute du Second Empire.  Ses collections ornèrent alors différents ministères et palais.  Une perte importe survint lors de l'incendie du Palais des Tuileries et du Château de Saint-Cloud.

Il est installé maintenant dans le 13ème arrondissement, dans le quartier Croulebarbe,  construit en 1936 sur les jardins de la Manufacture des Gobelins.  Sa collection compte plus de 200.000 objets datant du 17ème siècle à nos jours, parmi lesquels plusieurs milliers d'objets prestigieux et précieux.  Il est également chargé de la conservation et de l'entretien, que ce soit restauration de tapisserie et de tapis, menuiserie, ébénisterie, lustrerie.

(www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr)

La joie d’été : Les plages de la France

 La joie d’été : Les plages de la France

écrit par Caleigh Erickson, stagiaire de l’AFC

Quand on pense des vacances en Europe, on pense plutôt des villes historiques avec l’architecture, la nourriture, et la culture riche. On pense aussi des vacances en hiver. En été, on veut s’amuser sous le soleil et sur le sable. Mais ce n’est pas souvent qu’on pense de la France pour faire ces choses. Cependant, il y a plusieurs plages et villes au bord de la mer pour des vacances formidables ! La France a plus que 3218 kilomètres de littoral ! Il n’est pas bien connu que les plages comprennent une grande partie du tourisme en France. Sur ces plages, on peut faire presque toutes les activités typiques de la plage, comme la planche à voile, le surf, et le sport sur le sable. On peut manger des glaces délicieuses ainsi que les autre spécialités gastronomiques du littoral, comme les fruits de mer.  La plupart de ces plages sont au sud de la France au bord de la méditerranée, mais il existe aussi des plages à la côte-ouest et dans le nord, même si le temps n’est pas aussi beau que le sud !  On peut trouver du sable, des palmiers, ou des marinas pleines de bateaux. Regardez une liste des plages les plus populaires en France, selon TripAdvisor :

-       Cote des Basques, Biarritz

-       Palombaggia Beach, Porto Vecchio

-       Plage de Pampelonne, Saint Tropez

-       Plage de Saleccia, Corse

-       Plage de Saintes Maries de la Mer, Saintes Maries de la Mer

-       Plage de Chatelaillon, La Rochelle

Pour voir la liste complète, voyez le site web de TripAdvisor. Gardez en tête ces jolies destinations pour vos prochaines vacances ! Il y a une liste infinie d’activités amusantes à faire tout seul or avec toute la famille !