FIU celebrates all things France during French Week Miami


FIU’s Miami-Florida European Union Center of Excellence (MEUCE) will host a series of events celebrating French culture from Nov. 9 – 23 as part of French Week Miami 2011.

What began in 2007 as a one-week, citywide event designed to highlight and promote French culture in Miami, has now become a month-long celebration. In its fourth year, French Week Miami events take place throughout Miami Dade and Broward counties with FIU events as an integral part of the schedule. It is sponsored by the French American Chamber of Commerce of Florida (FACC) and area businesses.

The MEUCE will kick-off campus-wide festivities at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 with an art exhibit and reception at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. In collaboration with the Consulate General of France and the France-Florida Foundation for the Arts, opening night will unveil Tour de France/Florida: Contemporary Artists from France in Florida’s Private Collections. The exhibition will feature paintings — many of which have never been presented to the public before — by French artists such as Christian Boltanski, Sophie Calle, Annette Messager and Bernar Venet.

Christine Caly-Sanchez, assistant director for the MEUCE works very closely with the FACC organizing these events every year.

“French Week Miami is the perfect opportunity for FIU Students and the South Florida community to discover France through cultural experiences,” Caly-Sanchez said.

Co-sponsored by the European Studies Program, the Department of Modern Languages, the Office of Education Abroad and other associations and departments on campus, French week events range from film screenings and music, to trivia and a cooking class by Chef Bob Giraldi. For a complete list of all FIU French week events and sponsors click here.

The MEUCE, is jointly administered through FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs and the Jean Monnet Chair at the University of Miami.

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