1. Willem Brans got his start in arts management as the marketing manager for the Dallas Ballet, after years as an English teacher and journalist. He now runs the Los Angeles-based Arts Consulting Group, which, as we learn in this New York Times interview, helps arts organizations conceive of and raise funds for new venues. Bran’s biggest project to date? The Meyerson:

That was a major project. I. M. Pei was the architect, and it’s an absolutely brilliant building. It opened in 1989 and has 2,100 seats. That’s the sweet spot for acoustics. It was definitely a turning point for Dallas.

2. I hope you have been enjoying our year end recaps (pop music, visual art, classical music, architecture, dance, theater), which have largely turned out to be more conversations than the usual listomania. The Dallas Morning News has also filed some look-backs today, including classical music and museums and galleries. We’ll continue with our best-ofs today, including our third installment of the pop music conversation, the second part of our visual art conversation (which focuses on museums), and a roundup of the best movies of the year. Then, we’ll sign-off until January.

3. And finally, a programming note: if you’ve picked up the latest issue of the print product, you’ll notice we’re already thinking ahead to 2011, coming up with 20 things that will happen in the new year. My compadre, Zac Crain, and I will discuss these prophecies today on Think (if this sounds to you like a last minute fill-in, I think KERA’s program discription on their website (“developing”) is pretty much a tip-off). So, if you find yourself hustling through traffic trying to get in some last-minute shopping, tune in.