Alliance Française de Santa Rosa

08/22/2026

🎨🇫🇷 NEW! Explore 8 Centuries of French Art — 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩!

You don’t need to speak French to discover the extraordinary story of French art and culture.

Join us for 𝟖 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐀𝐫𝐭, an engaging journey through the art, architecture, politics, style, and cultural movements that have shaped France, from Gothic architecture to the 20th-century avant-garde.

Whether you’re an art lover, a Francophile, or simply curious about French culture, this class offers a fascinating way to explore France from a new perspective.

🇺🇸 Taught entirely in English
👨‍🏫 Instructor: Charles de Bretteville
📅 Mondays | 6:00–7:30 PM
🗓️ August 31–October 19, 2026
📍 In person
No class September 7 (Labor Day).

✨ Explore French art history
🏛️ Discover iconic architecture and artistic movements
🖼️ Learn to describe and discuss works of art
🇫🇷 Connect art with French history and culture
💬 Enjoy the richness of French culture, no French-language experience required!

The Alliance Française has long brought French language and culture to our community. With this new series of English-language cultural classes, we’re opening the door even wider to everyone who wants to experience the richness of France.

Come discover eight centuries of creativity, beauty, history, and innovation. 🇫🇷🎨

👉 Join us this fall and see French art in a whole new way! Sign up at https://afsantarosa.org/group-classes/

AFSR is an affiliate of the Foundation Alliance Française. We're a community who foster French learning, culture, and conversation via classes and events.

08/22/2026

🇫🇷 Preparing for the DELF Exam? Let’s Get You Ready! 🇫🇷

Planning to take the DELF (𝘋𝘪𝘱𝘭ô𝘮𝘦 𝘥'é𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘯ç𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦) exam? Our DELF Test Prep class with Gigi is designed to help you build the skills, confidence, and strategies you need to approach the exam prepared.

📚 DELF Test Preparation
👩‍🏫 Instructor: Gigi Kuhn
📅 Thursdays | 8:30–10:00 AM
💻 Online via Zoom
🗓️ September 3–October 22, 2026

The course focuses on all four key DELF skills:

🎧 Listening
📖 Reading
✍️ Writing
🗣️ Speaking

✨ Get focused practice.
✨ Strengthen your French skills.
✨ Build confidence for test day.
✨ Prepare for the December DELF exam.

Whether you're aiming for certification for academic, professional, or personal goals, this class can help you prepare with purpose.

🇫🇷 Your DELF success starts with preparation. Join Gigi this fall!

AFSR is an affiliate of the Foundation Alliance Française. We're a community who foster French learning, culture, and conversation via classes and events.

08/22/2026

🇫🇷 Keep Your French Journey Going This Fall! 🇫🇷

Ready to move beyond the basics and feel more confident speaking French? Our mid-beginner and intermediate French classes are designed to help you strengthen your skills, communicate more comfortably, and enjoy using French in real-life situations.

✨ Choose the class that fits your French journey:

🗣️ 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐝-𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝟏
👩‍🏫 With Barbara
📅 Mondays | 🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
August 31 - October 19
💻 Online

Have some prior French experience? This class is designed for students who already have a foundation in French and want to develop their conversation skills and pronunciation while gaining confidence speaking.

****

📚 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝟏 – 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟒
👩‍🏫 With Laura
📅 Mondays | 🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
August 31 - October 19
🏫 In-person

Continue building your French with a class focused on communication in everyday situations. Whether your goals are travel, work, or personal enrichment, this course helps you develop practical French you can use in real life.

****

🥐 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝟏
👩‍🏫 With Gigi
📅 Wednesdays | 🕖 7:00–8:30 PM
September 2 - October 21
💻 Online

Ready for the next level? Strengthen your B1 French through dialogues, grammar practice, and cultural readings. Improve your language skills while exploring French in meaningful, everyday contexts.

✨ Three classes. Three ways to keep growing in French.

Whether you want to speak with more confidence, strengthen your foundation, or develop your intermediate skills, we have a class to help you move forward.

🇫🇷 Don’t just learn French, use it! Join us this fall. Register at https://afsantarosa.org/group-classes/

AFSR is an affiliate of the Foundation Alliance Française. We're a community who foster French learning, culture, and conversation via classes and events.

08/22/2026

🇫🇷 Ready to take your French to the next level?

Already know the basics? Join our Beginner French A1 Part 2 class and build the confidence to communicate in everyday situations, while learning from the comfort of home!

📅 Wednesdays, September 2–October 21
🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
💻 Online via Zoom
👩‍🏫 Instructor: Gigi Kuhn

From everyday conversations to practical phrases you can actually use, this class is a fun, supportive way to keep your French journey going. 🇫🇷🥐

Register at https://afsantarosa.org/group-classes/

AFSR is an affiliate of the Foundation Alliance Française. We're a community who foster French learning, culture, and conversation via classes and events.

08/21/2026

📣 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 📦
We're excited to announce that we are moving to our new home, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭! Don't worry, we are not going too far, just across the street 😃
We are looking forward to welcoming you all in our three new classrooms at 𝟖𝟓 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞, 𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝟏𝟐 starting Monday 8/31 for our Fall I session.

Read the full announcement here:
https://mailchi.mp/5d17ad1a2855/2026-move-announcement-10152753

08/10/2026

08/09/2026

🇫🇷 FALL I REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 🍂

Get ready to learn French!

✨ NEW CLASSES
🗣️ French Conversation & Pronunciation - Mid-Beginners A1
🎨 Eight Centuries of French Art (in English)
👨‍👩‍👧 French for SRFACS Parents A1
📚 DELF Test Prep

At AFSR, we offer French classes for all levels, with the flexibility of in-person or online learning, with experienced and inspiring teachers.

👉 Find your class. Register early. Speak French this fall!
https://afsantarosa.org/group-classes/

07/15/2026

Discover the story behind *Running Fence*, one of the most iconic land art projects by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. This article explores how a simple white fabric fence became a landmark moment in contemporary art and changed the way people viewed landscape, community, and public art.

The article is written in Catalan/French. To read it in English, use your browser’s translation option: in Google Chrome, right-click on the page and select **“Translate to English”** (or click the translate icon in the address bar). You can also use another online translation tool to convert the article.

En 1977, l’artiste Christo formulait une déclaration aussi provocatrice que révélatrice : « L’illégalité est essentielle au système américain. » ...

07/14/2026

Why do we celebrate Bastille Day in France? Source: Firspost

Every year on July 14, France comes alive with military parades, spectacular fireworks, concerts, and street celebrations. Known as Bastille Day outside France and La Fête Nationale within the country, the day commemorates one of the defining moments in modern history - the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, an event that marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

But contrary to popular belief, the national holiday celebrates more than just the fall of a prison. It also symbolises the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity that continue to define the French Republic.

In the late 18th century, France was facing severe economic hardship. High taxes, food shortages, widespread poverty, and resentment against the monarchy fuelled growing public anger.

On July 14, 1789, thousands of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison that had become a powerful symbol of royal authority and oppression under King Louis XVI.

Although only a handful of prisoners were inside, the fortress represented the absolute power of the monarchy. Its capture became a turning point, signalling that ordinary citizens were willing to challenge royal rule.

The event is widely regarded as the beginning of the French Revolution, a movement that would eventually abolish the monarchy and reshape France’s political and social order.

Interestingly, France’s national holiday is not solely about the storming of the Bastille.

Exactly one year later, on July 14, 1790, France celebrated the Fête de la Fédération, a massive public festival held on the Champ de Mars in Paris. The event brought together citizens, soldiers, and King Louis XVI in a symbolic show of national unity after the turbulent first year of the Revolution.

When France officially declared July 14 as its national holiday in 1880, lawmakers intentionally chose a date that honoured both the revolutionary spirit of 1789 and the ideals of unity represented by the 1790 celebration.

07/11/2026

Families and friends of the Alliance Française de Santa Rosa, we are excited to welcome you all to enjoy a day of celebration filled with kids activities, live music, food, wine, beer, and vendors! We’ve two amazing sponsors this year hosting us, Goguette Bread and Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar! Come ready to mingle and enjoy a summer evening together at our Bastille Day Celebration!