Stephen Fleischman Lecture — Harper, Apr 23

Milwaukee artist David R. Harper is giving the 2026 Stephen Fleischman Lecture at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 23. (mmoca.org) The museum lists the lecture in its Lecture Hall with free admission, and says advance registration is encouraged because space is limited. Visit Madison’s event listing says guests can also use a cash bar before the talk. (mmoca.org) (visitmadison.com) MMoCA says Harper works across sculpture, textiles, ceramics, stained glass, and found imagery. The museum describes his work as an exploration of how memory takes shape in objects rather than a single linear story. (mmoca.org) That focus is also on view in Madison this week. MMoCA says Harper’s exhibition, *Good Morning Sweetheart*, opened April 22 and runs through Aug. 30, with the lecture scheduled the next evening. (mmoca.org) The lecture is part of MMoCA’s annual Stephen Fleischman Lecture series, which the museum uses to bring an artist or cultural figure into public conversation around contemporary art. MMoCA’s event calendar lists the Harper talk among its spring 2026 public programs. (mmoca.org 1) (mmoca.org 2) Harper is based in Milwaukee, placing the speaker within Wisconsin’s regional art scene rather than flying in a national headliner for a one-night appearance. MMoCA’s event note and Visit Madison’s listing both identify him as a Milwaukee-based artist. (mmoca.org) (visitmadison.com) MMoCA’s preview says viewers do work in Harper’s installations: meaning changes with movement, proximity, and perspective. In plain terms, the museum is telling visitors to expect art that shifts as they walk around it and bring their own memories to it. (mmoca.org) For anyone deciding whether to go tonight, the practical details are simple: Thursday, April 23, at 6 p.m., free at MMoCA, with registration recommended and Harper’s new Madison exhibition already on the walls upstairs. (mmoca.org 1) (mmoca.org 2)