On April 1, 2025, the French Center of Excellence and Wexner Center for the Arts co-hosted a series of events dedicated to honoring and exploring French and Francophone culture and language as a part of the global Nuit des Idées celebration. Organized by Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, the Night of Ideas (La nuit des idées) was a dynamic event happening in cities across the US aimed at fostering dialogue on urgent global issues.

This year’s theme, Common Ground, guided an evening of incisive talks, discussions, and performances hosted by the French Center of Excellence at Ohio State in partnership with the Wexner Center for the Arts. This interdisciplinary gathering of Ohio State scholars and artists included a keynote from Department of History Professor Bart Elmore, a dance performance by Professor Lucille Toth's OnBoard(hers) troupe, and flash talks and Q&As by French and Italian Professors Ryan Joyce and Jonathan Mullins, Comparative Studies Professor Maurice Stevens, Design Professor Fabienne Münch, and Folklore Studies Professor Dorothy Noye.

Thank you to all students, faculty, and community friends who came together to celebrate and honor French and Francophone culture across the globe and on campus. These events, all of which truly embodied this year's theme of common ground, were an excellent representation of what interdisciplinary learning can do for world communities.

Photo credits: Night of Ideas at the Wexner Center for the Arts, April 1, 2025. Courtesy of the Wexner Center for the Arts. OnBoard(hers) photos credit: Dean Taylor.