Bastille Day

Film

• Videodance . A special compilation of the finest international art and dance films commissioned by the Centre Pompidou for it’s annual festival Vidéodanse. The Hyde Park Art Center will host the debut of this inventive video montage celebrating 25 years of collaboration among dancers, choreographers and film artists. June 21 until July 20. 5020 S. Cornell Avenue, (773) 324-5520 orwww.hideparkart.org

• Could this be Love?(Je crois que je l’aime). Summer is the season for a romantic comedy and this French film makes a charming date night. Can modern technology thwart old fashioned romance? Presented by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago. July 16, 6:30 p.m. Chicago Cultural Center, Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington Street. FREE.

French Cooking

• Being a Chef: Monet’s Table.
If you are already mourning the absence of Monets at the Art Institute (they are on loan to the Kimball during construction), perhaps you will find solace in Monet’s chocolate cake! Prepare recipes from Monet’s cooking journals and strive to create more than an impression of his sole in white wine sauce. Sat., June 28.

• French Colonial Specialties:
Shrimp with Chinese spices, Tunisian Lamb, Banana Tart…”travel” this August and savor the exotic without leaving home. Sat., August 2.

• Fresh from the Marché:
Meet early (9:00) at the Lincoln Park market for farm fresh fare and create a seasonal harvest meal. Sat. Aug. 23.

All culinary lessons are on Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Alliance Française de Chicago, 810 N. Dearborn. $75 members, $85 non-members, www.af-chicago.org.

French Masters Dinner: Art of the French Revolution. An inspired collaboration between the Art Institute of Chicago and Mon Ami Gabi offers an opportunity to enjoy an art lecture and fine French dining. July 7 in Oak Brook and July 8 in Chicago starting with a wine tasting at 6:00 p.m. $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Let them eat cake…

Chicago’s Foie Gras ban overturned. The city council has overturned what the mayor deemed “the silliest ordinance” ever. Our tax dollars at work. Let them eat duck…

Gardens

The Chicago Botanic Gardens offers an eclectic assortment of programming to tempt Chicago gardeners to make the most of this brief respite from winter’s chill. Here are a few of my favorites. All are French in the spirit of creating an aesthetically pleasing life:

• Petite Gardens. Bring imagination to the smallest endeavor and design a perfect gem. Wed., June 25, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. $36 members, $45 non-members.
• The ABCs of Trees. Understanding the backbone of any garden. Sat., June 28, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. $29 members, $37 non-members.
• What’s in a Name? Beginning Latin for Gardeners.  Fear not, the roses will forgive your accent. Sat. July 19, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. $49 members, $62 non-members.
• Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening with Color! Learn the laws of attraction. Wed., July 23, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. $29 members, $37 non-members.

All classes at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, Regenstein Center, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL (847) 835-6853, www.chicagobotanic.org

Tablescape Floral Design with Nancy Clifton at Mettawa Manor. Bring the outdoors indoors to beautiful effect. Instruction plus hands on floral arranging. Thurs., July 31, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $149 members, $186 non-members includes lunch. Mettawa Manor is a remarkable private estate. Details and map available on www.chicagobotanic.org

World News

• France 24.Just type www.france24.com to find an in-depth analysis of current events from fresh perspectives. This trilingual website believes in the value of pluralism. (A welcome resource when U.S. media outlets are reporting Obama’s bowling average…)

Books (For the coffee table not the beach…)

• Jean-Michel Frank, The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haut Monde in the Art Deco Period, by Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier. An influential Parisian designer in the 1930s and 1940s, Frank’s use of simple forms in exquisite materials was and is utterly modern. Very inspirational. Rizzoli $95 www.amazon.com

• VERSAILLES: The Château and Its Satellites by award-winning author/ artists and architectural historians Andrew Zega and Bernd Dams, published by Connaissance et Mémoires, Paris. A truly sumptuous, limited-edition artist’s book reproducing sixty watercolors of the extraordinary châteaux, pavilions, unrealized projects, and architectural and garden ornaments of the seat of French kings. Signed by the artists and limited to 400 numbered copies in each language. Hand assembled and bound in shantung silk, it is a book fit for a Sun King or your favorite Franchophile. Publication price: €1000.00. www.connaissance.communicati@noos.fr
TEL: +33 (0)1.43.25.99.14.

Fashion

•The Business of Fashion 2008. If you aspire to be the next Yves Saint Laurent, the Apparel Industry Board, Inc.’s seminars can help you. From the nuts and bolts of starting a business, to sourcing and selling a fashion collection, tap into this resource and learn from industry insiders. July 30 – Aug. 20, Wed. and Thurs. evenings from 6:00 – 8:00, visit www.chicagofashionresource.com for complete details or call (312) 836-1041.

Beauty

Look up “water” in a French dictionary and you may well find the word “Cousteau”, so it is only natural that La Prairie would turn to Céline Cousteau, Jacques’ beautiful granddaughter, to market their Advanced Marine Biology creams. A percentage of sales supports the eco initiatives of the Ocean Futures Society. Look good, give back… how beautiful. $175 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Bastille Day | film | French cooking | gardens | world | books | fashion | world