Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

Arts and Culture

MPR News has you covered with news and stories about local art and culture happenings across Minnesota.

Art Hounds: Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. You can explore arts events here, or become an Art Hound today.

Art Reviews: Our arts team offers insight on the latest in theater, music, visual arts and more. We explore the breadth of creativity and innovation found throughout Minnesota, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the works and artists shaping our cultural landscape. Read more here.

Art Friend: Everyone needs an art friend. Art Friend is a new segment with our arts team. Art spaces can feel exclusive and art can be confusing, obtuse, and even boring. But, especially with the right context, everyone can be a critic. So let us be your guide- your Art Friend. Listen or read Art Friend stories here.

Our arts coverage is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Indie bookstores provide readers with information, relief amid ICE surge 

Indie bookstores provide readers with information, relief amid ICE surge 

Twin Cities bookstores are responding to heightened fear around ICE activity by transforming their shops into hubs for community support, political understanding and emotional refuge, as readers turn to books, children’s resources and author fundraisers to navigate a climate of anxiety and resistance.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
James Van Der Beek, the 'Dawson's Creek' star who later mocked his own hunky persona, has died at 48

James Van Der Beek, the 'Dawson's Creek' star who later mocked his own hunky persona, has died at 48

James Van Der Beek, best known as Dawson on “Dawson’s Creek,” has died at 48, according to a statement on his Instagram. The post on Wednesday says he died earlier that day.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Review: At the Guthrie, 'Macbeth' becomes a timely study in power and consequences

Review: At the Guthrie, 'Macbeth' becomes a timely study in power and consequences

Joe Dowling’s fast, dark, and stylistically charged “Macbeth” at the Guthrie turns Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy into a fierce meditation on ambition, violence and accountability, tracing how power corrodes its holders from the inside out.
by Alex V. Cipolle

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

ICE enforcement and songs of protest

From street choirs and drummers to new tracks by Laamar and Bruce Springsteen, a new wave of protest music is rising in response to ICE operations. MPR News host Catharine Richert talks with The Current's Gannon Hanevold about how musicians are soundtracking resistance in Minnesota.
by Catharine Richert and Cari Dwyer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Bad Bunny halftime show lifts and gives hope to Latino Minnesotans at a difficult time

Bad Bunny halftime show lifts and gives hope to Latino Minnesotans at a difficult time

Latino Minnesotans hosted dance parties and played Bad Bunny music before the Puerto Rican artists’ highly anticipated and politically controversial Superbowl halftime show on Sunday. Some say they appreciate Bad Bunny for using his platform to criticize recent ICE actions, and he gives them hope in a trying time.
by Nicole Ki

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Poetry, music and snow sculptures: Minneapolis artists honor 'victims of ICE'

Poetry, music and snow sculptures: Minneapolis artists honor 'victims of ICE'

2024 Minneapolis Poet Laureate Heid E. Erdrich and various snow sculptors hosted a ceremony and vigil Saturday evening for “victims of ICE,” including the debut of a poem by Erdrich honoring Renee Macklin Good. The Luminary Loppet took place the same evening nearby on Lake of the Isles, bringing the beauty of this seasonal tradition during ugly times in the Twin Cities.
by Cait Kelley

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Ask a Bookseller: A few books for understanding how language gets weaponized 

Ask a Bookseller: A few books for understanding how language gets weaponized 

With the surge of ICE operations in Minnesota now in its third month, indie bookstore owners in the Twin Cities and beyond say that customers are coming in looking for three things: community, books to help them understand what's happening, and books to help them escape.  
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
‘Ice Out for Good’: Art and censorship in the Minnesota snow

‘Ice Out for Good’: Art and censorship in the Minnesota snow

A new snow sculpture in Minneapolis features the face of Renee Macklin Good with a blindfold that says “ICE OUT,” and it references two snow sculptures that were disqualified from competitions last month for their references to the ICE surge.
by Alex V. Cipolle

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
MN Shortlist, Feb. 6-12: Systems under pressure, repetition and the art of consequence

MN Shortlist, Feb. 6-12: Systems under pressure, repetition and the art of consequence

From experimental theater that fractures a café ritual to legacy dance that still insists on urgency, these events ask what happens when we interrogate the structures we’ve inherited and decide whether they remain fit for purpose.
by Anika Besst, Alex V. Cipolle and Max Sparber

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!