Stephen Fleischman Lecture — Harper at MMoCA

Milwaukee artist David R. Harper is giving the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art’s 2026 Stephen Fleischman Lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 23. (mmoca.org) The free talk is in MMoCA’s Lecture Hall, and the museum says advance registration is encouraged because space is limited. Harper’s lecture is part of the museum’s annual Stephen Fleischman Lecture series. (mmoca.org) MMoCA describes Harper’s practice as moving across sculpture, textiles, ceramics, stained glass and found imagery. The museum says his work examines how memory takes shape in objects and how viewers build meaning through movement and attention. (mmoca.org) The lecture lands one day after the opening of Harper’s solo exhibition, *Good Morning Sweetheart*, which runs at MMoCA from April 22 through Aug. 30, 2026. The show is installed in the museum’s State Street Gallery and Lobby. (mmoca.ticketapp.org) That timing turns the lecture into more than a one-night artist talk: visitors can hear Harper discuss his process and then see the work on view in the same visit cycle. MMoCA says the event offers insight and inspiration into his artistic practice. (mmoca.ticketapp.org) Isthmus included the event in its Madison picks for April 20-23, 2026, placing Harper’s lecture among the week’s notable local arts events. The listing points readers to registration and details through MMoCA. (isthmus.com) Visit Madison’s event listing adds that the evening includes a cash bar and a social hour element alongside the public lecture. The tourism bureau also repeats that admission is free and registration is recommended. (visitmadison.com) For Madison audiences, the clearest takeaway is simple: Harper’s work is already on the walls, and the artist is at MMoCA tonight to explain how he builds it. (mmoca.org)