For the first time (and probably not the last), the New York edition of the Night of Ideas, an evening of art, intellectual discussion, and theater, will come to Jersey City, on Friday, March 1st. Visitors will have the chance to discover the much-awaited Jersey City branch of Paris’ modern art museum, the Centre Pompidou.
Five guided tours of the structure, which will open its doors to the general public in 2026, will take place during the evening event. Visit their website to register. It’s a safe bet to assume that places will fill up fast. Thirty-minute tours will be given in groups of ten.
Opening postponed for two years
This is a golden opportunity to get inside the building, a symbol of the Parisian museum’s desire for internationalization. Last year, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop announced at a press conference that the opening, originally planned for 2024, has been postponed for two years due to the pandemic and delays in obtaining the necessary contracts.
If you don’t manage to snag your spot, take comfort in the fact that the Night of Ideas program includes, as it does every year, a series of free lectures, workshops, multimedia installations, and activities taking place at Hudson County Community College (HCCC) from 6 pm to 1 am the following day. This year’s theme: the impact of urban development.
Discussions and Theater
This intellectual marathon will bring together authors, poets, artists, and academics to explore different facets of urban life. For example, participants will attend a discussion on the power of monuments, including the replacement of the Christopher Columbus statue in Newark in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020; the architecture of museums of the future; and the history of immigration in Jersey City, one of the most diverse cities in the United States. Members of L’Avant-Scène, a French-language theater troupe based in Princeton, will host a reading of works, including by Senegalese author Felwine Sarr, who will be present at the Night of Ideas. The full program is available on the event website.
Night of Ideas in Jersey City, Friday, March 1st, from 6 pm to 1 am. Hudson County Community College (HCCC), 71 Sip Avenue, Jersey City. Free entry. Information and RSVP.
This article was originally published in French on French Morning. It has been translated by Catherine Rickman.
