Chicago History Museum, Villa Albertine and the Consulate General of France are thrilled to present Chicago’s third Night of ideas.

Free and open to the public, this global celebration of thought will welcome inspiring voices from academic, artistic, scientific and civic communities for a five-hours marathon of ideas on this year’s theme « Where are we going ? ». Explore the Museum after hours while engaging in intellectual talks, panels and workshops on topics like living together in a city, social justice, education, urban planning, climate change and more.

Speakers include commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Erin Harkey, social justice artist Tonika Johnson and Chicago historian Sherman « Dilla » Thomas. Throughout the evening, museums spaces will also come to life with performances by French artist and physicist Baudoin Saintyves, Cellist Katinka Kleijn, danse performances by Danceworks Chicago and Chicago Dance Crash. Interactive happening will punctuate the evening, including workshops with the Alliance française, artist William Estrada, but along with conversations on poetry, yoga and philosophy. Dj Duane Powell will close out the evening.

With 5 hours of discussions, panels, performances, workshops and more, Night of Ideas : Where are we going ? hopes to raise dialogue, awareness, commitment and action to cultivate richer lives for ourselves, our communities and our planet.

Diverse voices and talents from Chicago History Museum ; University of Chicago ; Alliance française de Chicago ; American Society of Adaptation Professionals ; Argonne National Laboratory ; Art Institute of Chicago ; Ateliers Médicis ; Boa Light Studio ; Chicago Dance Crash ; City of Chicago ; Consulate General of Slovenia in Cleveland ; Danceworks Chicago ; Ecole Franco-Américaine de Chicago ; Ecole Normale supérieure, Lyon ; Experimental Station ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ; Illinois Institute of Technology ; University of Notre Dame ; La Chaise pliante ; Loyola University Chicago ; New-York University ; Poems while you wait ; School of the Art Institute ; Sorbonne Université ; Studio Gang ; The Invisible Institute, The Poetry Foundation ; Northwestern University ; University of Illinois Chicago will be present.

Full program available here.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the Museum’s North & Clark Café. The Museum Store will stay open until 9 p.m.

The Night of Ideas is an annual nocturnal marathon of philosophical debates, performances, readings and more, presented in 100 countries worldwide including the United-States. Today, Night of Ideas is a nationwide phenomenon, drawing tens of thousands of people to events in 19 cities across the country, produced by the newly launched Villa Albertine.

The national program in the US is made possible with major philanthropic support from the Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The nighttime gatherings will enable the public to engage with leading thinkers, scientists, activists, architects, sociologists, artists etc around the theme Where Are We Going?. Featuring diverse and bespoke programs, Night of Ideas 2022 provides a community-wide exploration of myriad paths forward for a world in crisis: from local movements for climate action, to global perspectives on decolonization, to a reimagination of cities, and much, much more.