Night of Ideas 2022: Where Are We Going?

Developed and hosted in partnership with 50+ institutions, the nighttime gatherings will enable the public to engage with leading thinkers, scientists, novelists, activists, and artists 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 our democratic institutions, and much, much more.  

Night of Ideas is being presented in 100 countries worldwide, including the United States, coordinated by the Institut Français. 

Among this year’s 200+ artists, philosophers, researchers, performers, and more are musician, author, and poet Patti Smith, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Goncourt Prize-winning Franco-Moroccan novelist Leïla Slimani, Lenape Center Director Joe Baker, philosopher, anthropologist, and sociologist Bruno Latour, resident musician and composer Sélène Saint-Aimé, author and urban thinker Ryan Gravel, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center Rama Yade, Poetry Foundation President Michelle Boone, Director of the Umass Energy Transition Initiative Erin Baker, resident numerical analyst Aurélie Jean, Los Angles Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Faber, political scientist Claire Sagan, food author and chef Adán Medrano, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Erin Harkey, ethologist, neurologist, and psychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik, resident multidisciplinary artists Loo Hui Phang and Joseph d’Anvers, and Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta. 

Night of Ideas was first introduced to the US in 2015 by the French Embassy and further developed through an ongoing partnership with the Brooklyn Public Library. Today, Night of Ideas is a nationwide phenomenon, drawing tens of thousands of people to events across the country. Night of Ideas 2022 will take place in:

• St. Louis – May 3

• Houston – May 5

• Boston – May 6   

• York, PA – May 7 

• Denver – May 9

• Los Angeles – May 9   

• Phoenix – May 9

• Tucson – May 9

• Washington, DC – May 11 

• Chicago – May 12

• Milwaukee – May 12

• Minneapolis – May 12

• San Juan, Puerto Rico – May 12

• Atlanta – May 14

• Norfolk, VA – May 14

• San Francisco – May 17

• New Orleans – May 18

• Miami – May 19

• New York City – May 21 

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.

More information will be available soon on nightofideas.org.