NEW 1/13! Four Things I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You

Mark Lawson wants people to think more deeply and critically about art. And he’s doing something about it, with a project that begins Friday, Jan. 20, at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Lawson, director of galleries at MIAD, has set up an interactive exhibit designed to promote discussion about art. New Exchanges: Evolving Visual Ideas and Forms includes the gallery’s back corridor, where MIAD students will create original work for the exhibition. For example, Fine Arts Professor Jason S. Yi’s Integrated Studio Arts sophomore class will meet in the space Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:50 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and students in Eric Vogel’s Interior Architecture + Design will work on their senior projects in the gallery. The public can leave comments on what they see on blackboards near the project areas. Public class critiques will be held and work will be on view. Visitor comments are encouraged through an onsite blog accessible to arts writers and critics at expressmilwaukee/the Shepherd Express; GNAW, a MIADgenerated blog edited by MIAD faculty Debra Brehmer; ArtCity/the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Third Coast Digest; and design mind magazine. The writers and editors have agreed to engage with the process in the gallery and online, and the public will be able to view their writings in the gallery.

American Players Theatre, an extraordinarily ambitious and well-run company in Spring Green, has mapped out its mid-term future. David Frank, artistic director since 1990, has announced that he will step down after the 2014 season. APT has already named Brenda DeVita to succeed Frank. Talk about a smooth transition: DeVita joined the company in 1995 and has served as associate AD since 2004. All this is good news, considering how smoothly the company has run recently and the spectacularly high artistic quality and great box office of the last few seasons.

The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music has opened a new branch in the Audubon Court shopping center, 333 W. Brown Deer Road, Suite 2. The new satellite facility will offer a wide range of musical instruction to North Shore students. The new branch has 10 studios, a waiting area and a dozen pianos. For further information, call the conservatory, 414 276-5760.

The UPAF Ride for the Arts will take the scenic route this year. The ride, set for June 3, will incorporate Lakeshore State Park for the first time. Here is the route map.