Villa Albertine San Francisco

Valentin Schmite co-founder of is coming to Night of Ideas 2026 in San Francisco!

🧠 Ask Mona is a trailblazing AI platform helping museums and cultural institutions better understand and engage their audiences — from personalized visit tips to smarter, data-driven curation. Valentin will share how AI is shaping more inclusive, interactive, and meaningful cultural experiences.

✨ Valentin Schmite joins the panel “AI and the Future of Museums” alongside Doug Thistlewolf (), Audrey Kim (), and Cheng Xu .u.cheng (Games & Technology Curator).

✨ Meanwhile, at Ask Mona gives voice to the palace’s sculptures — letting visitors chat with the artworks and uncover their hidden stories. A fusion of art, history, and innovation that redefines how we experience heritage.

San Francisco Public Library - Children’s Center - 9PM
🎟 Free event - Details & sign-up link in bio

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Experience two unique moments with at Night of Ideas 2026 in San Francisco✨

🎶 6:45 PM – Fulton Plaza Stage: Don’t miss the performance of « Detroit », Victor Le Masne’s original composition celebrating the musical ties between France and the U.S.—from Motown to French Touch—featuring the Classical Revolution String Quartet.

The piece weaves acoustic and electronic textures into a contemporary soundscape that reflects Detroit’s industrial past, cultural resilience, and lasting influence on global music.

💬 10:30 PM – SFPL: Join Victor Le Masne in conversation with Chloe Veltman, KQED, for an insightful discussion on the creation of « Detroit » and the enduring Franco-American musical and cultural dialogue.

Learn more about the full program and register via the link in bio⭐️

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Villa Albertine San Francisco is pleased to collaborate with Asian Art Museum () San Francisco Public Library () KQED and Circuit Network to present the 2026 edition of Night of Ideas in San Francisco!

📍 Taking place across the Asian Art Museum, the San Francisco Public Library, and Fulton Plaza, this citywide event transforms the Civic Center into a dynamic platform for dialogue, creativity, and interdisciplinary exchange.

💡 On April 11, from 3 PM to midnight, audiences are invited to engage with a rich program of talks, performances, workshops, and artistic interventions under this year’s theme, “Lighting the Way.”

Bringing together cultural institutions, artists, thinkers, and the public, Night of Ideas fosters collective reflection on the role of ideas and creativity in shaping the future!

Free and open to all ⭐️
Learn more in bio 👍

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Villa Albertine and the Sciences Po American Foundation are honored to welcome Mario Del Pero, Professor of International History at the Sciences Po Center for History, to the United States this spring.
A leading scholar of Cold War studies and U.S. foreign policy, Prof. Del Pero will present and discuss his latest books:

📚 In the Shadow of the Vatican: Texan Evangelical Missionaries in Cold War Italy (Cambridge University Press, 2026)
📚 Buio Americano. Gli Stati Uniti e il mondo nell’era Trump (Il Mulino, 2025)

This April, he will take part in a series of talks and events across the West Coast, engaging audiences on U.S. foreign policy, religion, and global politics.

Book tour highlights:
📍 San Francisco Night of Ideas — April 11
📍 Hoover Institution — April 13
📍 UC Berkeley Center of Excellence in French and Francophone Studies — April 14
📍 Santa Clara University — April 15
📍 University of Washington Tech Policy Lab — April 16
📍 Ellison Center, Jackson School of International Studies — April 17

📅 Register via the link by April 1 to receive detailed information about his book tour!

🌙 SAVE THE DATE Night of Ideas 2026!

On Saturday April 11, Night of Ideas returns to San Francisco for an evening of bold ideas, artistic expression, and collective imagination!

Co-hosted by .sf@kqed and Circuit Network, the night will bring together thinkers, artists, scientists, and community leaders for a dynamic program of talks, performances, workshops, food, and late-night cultural experiences.

✨ Afternoon of Ideas I 3 - 6 PM
Families and young audiences are invited to explore interactive workshops, playful performances, and creative activities with artists, educators, and authors.

🌙 Night of Ideas I 6:30 PM - Midnight
A late-night marathon of conversations and performances exploring this year’s theme: “Lighting the Way.”

This year marks 250 years since the American Declaration of independence, and as we look ahead to the next 250 years, the evening asks:
What ideas and common values guide us? What inspires change for the new generations? And how can creativity help shape a more connected future?

📍 SF Public Library, Fulton Plaza & Asian Art Museum

Free & open to all!
More info and tickets in bio ⭐️

Stay tuned for the full program.

Night of Ideas 2026 is presented by .albertine and the Albertine Foundation thanks to the leadership support of the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation. It is coordinated worldwide by the Institut français.

Consulate General of France in San Francisco and Villa Albertine San Francisco are delighted to welcome renowned Senegalese professor and writer Felwine Sarr at the for a special conversation around his book « Dahij », soon to be released in English for the first time by Peregrine Press ✨

Felwine Sarr will be joined by Victor Reinking for a conversation on how geography, religion, and identity intersect, and how African literature travels across languages and audiences.

➡️ San Francisco Public Library
March 10, 2026

This event is part of our celebration of Mois de la Francophonie 🇫🇷

⭐️ Register now - link in bio

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From February 27 to March 1 at ✨

Ya Samar! Dance Theatre presents « Gathering » conceived and directed by choreographer Samar Haddad King.

« Gathering » explores love, loss, trauma, and dislocation. Blending movement, text, song, and puppetry, an international ensemble tells the story of a village under siege and a woman confronting her fragmented memories inviting audiences to participate as both witnesses and collaborators.

This presentation is supported by the 2025 FUSED grant, an initiative of the .albertine and the Albertine Foundation, fostering contemporary artistic exchange between France and the United States.

FUSED supports tours and collaborative projects presented in both countries from June 2025 through August 2026.

⭐️ More info in bio

This week, .sf and were honored to welcome for an enchanted musical evening✨

presented their new creation: Beauty and the Beast by Jean Cocteau 🕯️

A story through Cocteau’s visionary lens, it becomes a poetic exploration of transformation, mystery, and love beyond appearances.

For one evening, the artists transported us into a universe both fragile and dreamlike, yet intensely alive. A suspended moment, experiencing opera up close with the performers who bring it to life.

With the talented artists Chea Kang Hadleigh Adams .adams and Aurélien Mangwa ⭐️

Thank you to Opéra Parallèle for this beautiful evening!

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Wrapping up an inspiring week with ⭐️

A PhD candidate at Alice joined us in the Bay Area to present her research on the figure of the monster in contemporary French cinema—highlighting how film reimagines gender, q***r identities, and the politics of the body.

✨She spoke at addressed 300 students and connected with students from the audiovisual program!

✨Also, she presented her work about the French Contemporary Cinema at the . A moment.

✨Her visit culminated at the Mutations conference, organized by the Berkeley French Graduate Student Association and supported by .albertine where she joined the panel “Bodily (Per)Mutations: Personhood, Social Relations, and the Politicized Body.”

Thank you for the powerful conversations and critical insights!

Celebrating 80 years of the Teaching Assistant Program in France 🇫🇷✨
Discover Nicole’s story and her experience teaching in France in 2014.

« TAPIF was a fantastic experience for me — I lived in a rural part of France, which allowed me to practice speaking French and to explore areas of the country rarely presented to foreign travelers. I became immersed in aspects of French culture previously unknown to me, developed friendships and professional contacts with people all over the world, and kick-started my career in the cultural sector. The program was a unique transition between student life and my career, and it offered professional and personal development I can’t imagine is typical of other entry-level jobs. »

runs every year and allows young Americans to teach English in French schools for 6 months.

Interested? Apply by March 15!
More info in bio

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✨ Two days to bring French teachers together!

Are you a French teacher? During 2 days, exchange ideas, share experiences, and get inspired by innovative teaching practices.

🔹 FLE Track: resources, presentations, and peer exchanges
🔹 French Dual Language Immersion Track: build your curriculum, share successes and challenges

Open to French teachers from the 15 states in the SF & LA districts
Seminar in-person and/or online

📍 March 13–14, 2026
Berkeley Bilingual School

More infos and registration in bio!

Program organized by .albertine

Villa Albertine San Francisco and invite you to join the “Dix-moi un gâteau” baking contest 🎂

The challenge: bake a pastry inspired by the theme of the future! Get creative, bold, and delicious!

🏆 Winners will enjoy workshops in local French bakeries, gift cards from a renowned bakeries, cookbooks from Bay Area chefs

Ready to bake the future?👩‍🍳👨‍🍳

February 20 - April 20
Learn more & apply in bio

Thanks to .us and for offering great prizes !

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