Night of Ideas

Centered around the theme How Much More?, the New York edition of Night of Ideas, co-presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ukrainian Institute of America, the Institute of Fine Arts–NYU, and Villa Albertine, interrogates the over-stimulation and excess of our physical and digital realities. Conversely, what aspects of our contemporary existence are being neglected and need urgent attention? The event examines how we cope with our chaotic present—from the climate crisis, to the proliferation of content online, to political polarization in post-Roe America—and what vision young people, in particular, have of our uncertain future.

Come explore:

Afrofuturism at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Women’s rights at the Villa Albertine headquarters
Environmental challenges and land rights at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU (register here)
Technology and social media in the information age at the Ukrainian Institute of America

Participants will be invited to ponder how much more our society can withstand—and what more is required of us to preserve a livable world.

Presented by: Villa Albertine, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Institute of Fine Arts–NYU, and The Ukrainian Institute of America in partnership with Columbia and Princeton Universities.

Program highlights

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 4:30pm – 9:00pm                                         

• 4:30-6:30pm: Youth-oriented programming with Afrofuturist Period Room artist Fabiola Jean-Louis. Teens will tour the exhibition with Fabiola and Ana Matisse Donefer-Hickie, Senior Research Associate of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, followed by a conversation about the artist’s practice and an art-making demonstration and workshop led by the artist. No registration required.
• 5:00-9:00pm: Date Night at The Met – Experience live music across the Museum, enjoy drink specials and light fares across the Museum at the American Wing Café, Petrie Court Café, and the Balcony Lounge.
• Starting at 6:00pm: Drop-in Drawing with a focus on Rodin’s best-known public monument The Burghers of Calais. Experience The Met’s collection through this creative drawing challenge in the galleries with expert teaching artists. Materials are provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own sketchbook.
• Starting at 7:00pm: a gallery walkthrough of the Afrofuturist Period Room.

The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU: 6:00pm – 8:30pm

• “Manhattan is a Lenape cultural space” – a talk led by the co-founders of the Lenape Center in Manhattan, Joe Baker (Executive Director) and Hadrien Coumans (Co-Director).
• Live reading of Pascal Rambert’s play Trois annonciations, performed by students in Princeton University’s L’Avant-Scène the French Theater Workshop. This hypnotic text spans the centuries in three monologues, asking the question: What is there to announce today? A beginning or an end? 

Villa Albertine: 8:30pm – 12:00am  

• Live reading, start to finish, of 2022 Nobel winner Annie Ernaux’s Happening, a powerful account of the author’s illegal abortion in 1963 France. More than 20 readers will participate in this collective literary marathon, including bestselling authors Judith Thurman, Margo Jefferson and Colm Tóibín, youth activist Niharika Rao, feminist journalist Mona Eltahawy, doctor and medical ethicist Laura Kolbe, and several students. Followed by a discussion.
• Jazz performance by the award-winning Kim Clarke trio.

The Ukrainian Institute of America: 8:30pm – 12:00am 

• Talks centered on image, media, new technology, and innovation – and their intersections with youth and young generations – led by French author and media thought-leader Bruno Patino, designer and technology Mindy Seu, filmmaker Cédric Ido, journalist Lauren Wolfe, media theorist McKenzie Wark, and more. College students will serve as moderators and interviewers.
• Detox room with guided yoga and live music.
• Intellectual one-on-one conversations with Night of Ideas speakers, including Mindy Seu, novelist Julie Girard, and more.