Activities by our members so far include the formation of a French-English wine-and-cheese group which meets monthly in Cambridge, the mounting of photography exhibitions at the French Library and Cultural Center in Boston and the publication of a newsletter in French and English by one of our members in Baltimore, Christine Soudry. Approximately 2000 copies of the newsletter, Les Petites Annonces, is distributed in the DC area, New York and Boston.
Activities for 1996 included a screening of slides and a one-day exhibition of photographs of France at the annual Gala at the Museum of Fine Art by Regis de Silva in May. A photography workshop was conducted by Regis de Silva and Mikki Ansin, assisted by Madeleine Miaille in Aix-en-Provence. We have also just added a new member in Prague because of the strong ties in film and photography between this city and Paris. A photography workshop in Prague was taught by Regis and Mary Violette in June 1997, co-sponsored by The Art Institute of Boston. Mikki and Regis taught a workshop Florence, Italy in November 998. Regis is also involved in a film preservation project in Paris and the placement of a collection of early moving pictures from the 19th century at Eastman House, Rochester, N.Y. We held a summer camp in French, art and photography along with the French Academy in Wellesley, Mass. for children aged 8-16 in the summer of 1997.
Our future plans call for the recruitment of teachers, artists, historians and linguists in France and in the US to participate in our activities and to teach specialized courses which interest our group. These efforts are designed to provide both cultural and employment opportunities for people interested in the arts.