Calendar

Feb
15
Fri
French Eyes on Boston Painting Workshop at the French Cultural Center
Feb 15 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

French artist and Boston resident Marguerite Wibaux will lead a workshop on alla-prima, a technique made famous by Matisse.

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Marguerite will lead this fascinating workshop, which will begin with an explanation of the technique and a presentation of the model. The attendees will then be invited to pick up their brushes and produce their own portraits, alla-prima.  Easels, canvas, brushes and acrylic paint provided will be provided to all attendees.

About Marguerite Wimbaux

A member of the Center since 2017, Marguerite has quite the atypical career. After graduating with an MBA from the prestigious HEC Paris, Marguerite worked in advertising for the most-renowned French Maisons, from Cartier and Hermès to Van Cleef, Hennessy, the Italian Cavalli, and Armani.

These past experiences in the realm of couture translate into Marguerite’s art. There is a passion for patterns and an obsession with composition and structure, while staying true to the energy and character of her subjects.

The colorful diversity of Marguerite’s artwork is also influenced by her childhood. Marguerite was born in Argentina, and has lived in Peru, Italy, China, France, and the USA.

Currently, Marguerite’s pieces are commissioned and sent to galleries across the globe, from Milan to New York. 

To learn more, visit Marguerite’s website: https://margueritewibaux.com/

Feb
24
Sun
Ellie Fund’s Red Carpet Gala at Fairmont Copley Plaza
Feb 24 @ 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm

Didn’t get your invite to the Oscars? It’s just as well because the Ellie Fund is hosting their 23rd Annual Red Carpet Gala the same evening with an epic awards watching party and tasting event.

On Sunday, February 24th, head on over to the Fairmont Copley Plaza to join Boston’s top movers & shakers in a celebration of film, philanthropy and food from some of the city’s best chefs. You’ll have the chance to meet Stefano Zimei of Chopps American Bar & GrillDelio Susi of SulmonaPatrick McRell of Our FathersTatiana Rosana of Outlook at the EnvoySean MacAlpine of City TableStan Hilbert owner of ForageEfe Onoglu of Nahita and Brian Mercury of Oak + Rowan.

In addition to the chef stations, there’ll be a cocktail reception, silent & live auctions, streaming of the awards show straight from Hollywood, dancing and live music. The night is all in support of the nonprofit’s mission to help breast cancer patients with transportation, light housekeeping, grocery assistance and more. Tickets are $300 per person, and you can reserve an entire table if you’ve got a group of eight — get more details and find the tickets this way.

Photos and text from Boston Chefs

Mar
5
Tue
Francophonie 2019: Launch Celebration
Mar 5 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Francophonie 2019: Launch Celebration @ French Cultural Center

Mix and mingle with Boston’s Francophones at the French Cultural Center

March is le mois de la Francophonie! Join the French Cultural Center as they celebrate the launch of this annual celebration of the French language and Francophone cultures. This is a great opportunity to meet Boston’s Francophone institutions and sample delicious drinks and light bites from their respective cultures!

Come meet representatives from business, governments, and nonprofits and learn more about their community offerings, calendar of events, travels, studies, and work and visa programs.

Come one, come all for what promises to be a festive evening!

FREE – RSVP REQUIRED

Mar
12
Tue
An Evening with Renée Fleming at French Cultural Center
Mar 12 @ 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Join the French Cultural Center for an intimate dinner and conversation with renowned opera and Broadway star Renée Fleming.

About Renée Fleming

COVER_briottetRenée Fleming is one of the most highly-acclaimed singers of our time. Winner of four Grammy® awards, she was presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2013. In 2014, she became the first classical artist ever to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Renée earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the 2018 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Her recent tour schedule has included concerts in New York, London, Vienna, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, and Beijing. She is heard on the soundtracks of the Best Picture Oscar winner The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and as the singing voice of Roxane, played by Julianne Moore, in the film of the best-selling novel Bel Canto. As Artistic Advisor to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, she spearheads a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health focused on music, health, and neuroscience.

Renée’s most recent album Renée Fleming: Broadway was released in September by Decca. She has recorded everything from complete operas and song recitals to indie rock, jazz, and the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings. Among Renée’s awards are the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, and Sweden’s Polar Music Prize.

http://www.reneefleming.com

About Mosaïque

COVER_briottetCultural programs are at the core of the French Cultural Center’s mission to promote the vibrant growth of Francophone cultures and the French language in New England. From art exhibits, concerts, and film screenings to author talks and children’s workshops, we continually seek to welcome experts in various cultural fields to provide a window onto the diverse cultures of the Francophone world.

Support Cultural Programming in Boston

Gifts made in honor of the Mosaïque Award Ceremony are 100% tax-deductible and provide critical support for cultural programming at the French Cultural Center.

Make checks payable to: French Cultural Center
Mail to: French Cultural Center
Attn: Joyce Grippen, Director of Development 
53 Marlborough Street
Boston, MA 02116

Mar
28
Thu
Ivan Ramen Pop-Up at UNI Boston
Mar 28 @ 5:30 pm

Cult favorite Ivan Ramen is making a return to UNI Boston for one night only.

Ivan Orkin, owner of the famed NYC hot spot Ivan Ramen, is returning to UNI Boston for the third time for a one-night-only.  Orkin will present some of Ivan Ramen’s specialties like pickled daikon XO, Tokyo shio ramen, and spicy lamb dan dan noodles — UNI’s à la carte menu offering sushi, sashimi, and street food also will be available.

Reservations are available here.

Apr
5
Fri
Fashion Show at the French Cultural Center
Apr 5 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Celebrate fashion with an exclusive show at the French Cultural Center.

Join the French Cultural Center for a fashion show featuring seven emerging designers from across the globe, live music, and over 30 exclusive looks. (Plus, open wine bar!)

Curated by Lana Barakat of Beacon Hill’s December Thieves boutique, Boston-designer Christian Restrepo and Toronto’s Nuit Atelier will present their own creations during the show.

Event starts promptly at 7:00 PM with an open wine bar. The fashion show is comprised of two fashion collection showings with a 10 minute intermission in between. We will close the evening with a wine and hors d’oeuvre reception where guests can mingle and meet the designers. Complimentary light hors d’oeuvres and an open wine bar will be provided, hors d’ oeuvres crafted by Chef Cyrille Couet courtesy of Colette Bistro.

Designers included in the show feature: Rundholz Apparel and Trippen Footwear from Germany, Lurdes Bergada from Spain, NostraSantissima from Italy, Studio B3 from Poland, Nuit Atelier from Canada and Christian Restrepo from Boston.

Apr
21
Sun
Easter Grand Buffet with Petting Zoo for Kids at Fairmont Copley Plaza
Apr 21 all-day

Hop over to Fairmont Copley Plaza on Sunday, April 21 and celebrate Easter in a grand style this year!

Fairmont Copley Plaza is hosting an extravagant, family-friendly brunch buffet with multiple seating options at 10:30 and 11:00am, and 2:00 and 2:30pm.

As a special treat for your little ones, children can play with adorable farm animals from Enchanted Animal Parties petting zoo, participate in an Easter egg hunt, enjoy an arts n’ crafts section, and get creative at a decorate-your-own-cookie station. Plenty of family photo opportunities inside the luxurious setting of Fairmont Copley Plaza.

The Easter menu from Executive Chef Laurent Poulain will offer brunch options the whole family will love. Breakfast selections include made-to-order omelettes and maple sugar & cinnamon French toast, and on the savory side there will be decadent choices like honey lemon herb crusted rack of lamb, rib eye chops with bordelaise sauce, duck foie gras, lobster & bow tie pasta salad, a full raw bar and much more.

The dessert buffet will make the magic of the holiday come to life with a presentation of chocolate bunny pops, Easter petit fours, strawberry short cakes, mini Boston cream pies and more.

Fairmont Copley Plaza is proud to announce that all leftovers from Easter brunch will be donated to Boston Rescue Mission, an organization that brings food to the hungry and homeless in the city. Executive Chef Laurent Poulain regularly works with Boston Rescue Mission to donate excess food from the hotel.

*IMPORTANT* Advance notice is required if you would like to be seated with a specific party booked under another name. Please also let the hotel know in advance if you have special requests such as allergy requests, wheelchair accommodations or high chair needs. Email Haley.Lincoln@Fairmont.comas soon as possible to share these requests.

Apr
23
Tue
Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris at the French Cultural Center
Apr 23 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

An evening of remembrance, community, and support.

In light of the recent fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, the French Cultural Center will host an evening to honor and celebrate this iconic landmark. 

Professor Antoine Picon of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design will join us for a presentation on the marvelous architecture of Notre-Dame de Paris, including what was lost in the fire, and its significance today.

The 25-minute presentation will be followed by a reception with light refreshments. Guests will have the opportunity to make a donation to support restoration efforts – from $5 to $5,000, every dollar counts!

All donations will benefit the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, an organization dedicated to restoring this iconic cathedral.

Click here to RSVP.

Apr
27
Sat
Bow Market on the Precinct Patio
Apr 27 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Somerville’s popular Bow Market comes to Precinct’s patio for one day only!

Precinct Kitchen + Bar invites you to join them on their patio for a one-day Bow Market pop-up.  Vendors include:

  • Adelante, custom shoes, handmade by craftsman in Guatemala
  • Blue Bandana Relics, a curated collection of vintage Americana and quality American brands.
  • Buenas, all sorts of South American goodness you can eat on the spot or take home to use in your own recipes. Think: take-n-bake empanadas, pastry dough to make your own empanadas (and other stuff), and sauces you can use for everything from roasting chicken and salmon, to topping oysters.
  • In Season Food Shop, made-to-order meals and drinks, local food products, and a curated selection of grocery essentials
  • Maca, chic and cheeky, regular and character macarons that range in flavors from vanilla to blueberry basil cheesecake.
  • Peston, unique accessories, fleeky home goods and apparel.
  • Happy Cactus, succulents, cacti, air plants, exotic plants, ethically sourced butterflies, crystals, gems, fossils and pretty much anything extraordinary Mother Nature creates.
  • Additionally, guests will also enjoy soaps and creams from the Sentas Family Farm and much, more!

Precinct  will be serving their regular breakfast, brunch and lunch menus all day long, so reserve your table and head over!

May
23
Thu
From the Royal Court to Active Textiles at French Cultural Center
May 23 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

French Cultural Center’s French Innovation series looks at French fashion innovations.

Fashion plays a significant cultural, societal, and economic role in France. The second program in the French Cultural Center’s French Innovation series will explore this French staple, from the fashion of its royal courts to the country’s indefatigable status as a pioneer in fashion and luxury innovation today. 

Gwen van den Eijnde, of RISD, will enlighten us on French contributions to the world of fashion, from the first mentions of style in the fifteenth century to the liberation of women by Chanel and Dior. 

For a peek into new innovations in the fashion world, Christophe Guberan will introduce us to his Active Shoes research project, which explores the future of shoe production and performance with self-transforming textiles. 

Event in English. A reception with refreshments will be provided after the discussion.

Guests are welcome to explore our eye-opening French Innovation exhibition in our gallery, featuring sketches, models, and more related to this series’ programs.

About the Panelists
guberan

Christophe Guberan is a Swiss industrial designer who teaches product design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The buzzing and innovative ecosystem of the Greater Boston Area allows him to augment his practice while experimenting with new research and technological development.

In 2014, Guberan began collaborating with the MIT Self-Assembly Lab and Founder & Director Skylar Tibbits, a pioneer in 4D printing, to create “active shoes” under the Minimal Shoe project for Design London Museum. Guberan has continued his exploration of material interactions, digital manufacturing, and self-assembly processes. His projects include Hydro-FoldLiquid to Air, and his most recent collaboration with Tibbits, Rapid Liquid Printing, which tackles speed, scale, and quality challenges in 3D printing technology by printing objects suspended in a gel-like medium.

gwen

Gwen van den Eijnde is a Dutch-French designer working in the disciplines of fashion, fine art, and theatre. Through his expressive, avant-garde clothing and costume designs, he creates captivating characters and tells enthralling stories that stretch the imagination. A professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), van den Eijnde’s multi-layered approach is informed by his deep knowledge of fashion history and theory; his work is a commentary on the peculiarities of life, often finding subversive humor and fantasy rooted in fact. Van den Eijnde has studied and worked with some of the most esteemed practitioners in his field, including artist Edith Dekyndt in the Atelier Textile of the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg, costume designer Olivier Bériot, choreographer Robyn Orlin, and the revered Hermès atelier, Petit h. Before joining the faculty at RISD, he was visiting professor at the Fashion department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Head of Textile Design at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin in Mulhouse.


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