Arts and Culture

Musician J.D. Steele is known for his work with Prince and singing and producing R&B, gospel and soul with The Steeles. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with this Minnesota music powerhouse about his career, directing community choirs and inspiring the next generation to sing.

On the eve of the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, its word selection panel has worked long hours to approve all words, including their spellings, pronunciations and languages of origin.

Made famous on TikTok, “if i were a fish” is a silly, fun ode to self-acceptance and self-confidence from the musician corook.

This week's recommendation comes from Emi Lim Morison of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, Montana.

This week’s Arts Briefs include new concert series, a Thai New Year’s celebration and updates from the arts community. Also in Absolute Bleeding Edge: a multimedia project about beds, and the lack of them.

In his new book “The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War,” Jeff Sharlet examines the anger underneath American politics today — including a turn toward fascism and Christian nationalism.

Boyd is the first female and Anishinaabe superintendent to lead the federal site on the ancestral homelands of the Grand Portage Anishinaabe.

Latinx comedians with non-English routines have largely been relegated to restaurants, bars and other spaces where Spanish already dominates. But a new generation is changing that, one show at a time.

Three years later, SoulFlower, Breezy2Fresh, Mack OC and Oaojooo came together to share their experiences, inspirations and thoughts on the role of music in bringing about social change.

Three years after the murder of George Floyd, music has been an essential tool for healing. Floyd’s former partner Courteney Ross and south Minneapolis musician Raycurt Johnson share their stories.