The Franco-American Institute in Rennes (IFA) was officially founded in 1961 by the US Embassy and the City of Rennes.

You may know or rightly assume that its mission is to strengthen friendship and understanding between the two countries. You may not know is that it is the last remaining binational center in France.

“The institute was created from the remnants of the Marshall Plan,” said IFA director, Thomas Hull (pictured).

“After WWII, binational centers used to exist all over - Germany, Spain, Egypt, France - but then they started to close down when the embassies stopped funding them in the late 1960s. All binational centers had English classes, an English library and a cultural program.

“When the other centers in France closed down for lack of revenue, the one in Rennes survived because of the city's 'save the institute’ attitude,” said Mr Hull, “They bought the building for a symbolic dollar.

“This continued support, along with a generous grant from the Florence Gould Foundation every year, finances our cultural activities, and the English classes support themselves.”

Now located in two buildings in the center of Rennes - (the language school at 35, rue Saint-Mélaine and the secretariat, library, art gallery and 105-seat auditorium at 7, quai Chateaubriand) - the Institute offers much more than English lessons.

Its reference and lending library boasts one of the most complete English language collections in provincial France, with approximately 12,000 books available for loan.

IFA’s broad range of cultural activities include art exhibitions, concerts, conferences, presentations, and creative open discussions that scratch beyond the surface of American culture.

An example of the latter is this month's cocktail lecture/discussion in the IFA courtyard on correspondence between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (May 15 at 18.30), the text accompanied by the dance performances of Roberte Tual and Françoise Morice.

“I adore organizing these type of open-discussion get togethers,” said former IFA cultural program director, Isabelle Montéville.

“One learns so much about the lives and passions of the authors.”

IFA exhibits and conferences are free and open to all.

Over the years, the institute has welcomed a number of renowned American artists for photography, painting and other exhibitions.

A two-person exhibit beginning May 26 will show the works of American Artists Charles and Corinne Jones: his prints of literary influences and her pastels on bird studies. Conferences and presentations may be in French or English, with subjects ranging from American to global issues, from art to politics.

This year's Sur le Quai series explored the future of the transatlantic economic relationship between the USA and France.

Concerts include jazz, gospel, blues, and native American music.

During Black History month in February, IFA held a concert series honoring Black American jazz greats.

Further events can be found on the institute’s website www.ifa-rennes.org

“We try to tie our events in with the American calendar or very often, cultural activities in the city,” said Thomas Hull, who came to Rennes from Minnesota 19 years ago on a one year internship to study.

He had intended to work in the banking industry back in the States, but when he met a

French women, now his wife, he stayed in Rennes and began teaching English instead.

Eventually he started teaching at IFA which led to a job first as the assistant director and then as IFA director in 2000.

So many years at IFA has made the institute a home away from home to him.

“The Rennes Musée des Beaux-arts is theming its exhibits on the American West this year, so we have been happy to build upon that theme with complimentary art and lectures.

“We held a conference on the portraits of early Native Americans by Antoine Tzapoff, and another on the Mythology of the West: How in 1905 ‘Buffalo-Bill's Wild West Show’ came to France.

“Also, because of the 2008 presidential election, many of the events are politically-oriented this year. At the very heart of our association’s activity are the cultural exchanges between our two countries.

“We try to show how things really are in America, to ignore the stereotypes and concentrate on what's unique about the people, the culture, the art, language, etc.

“We try to give people a taste of America - one that goes beyond of a hamburger and fries.”