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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.

Art Hounds: Fresh dance, short plays and a nightmare gala

Art Hounds: Fresh dance, short plays and a nightmare gala

Art Hounds recommend Strange Loop Project’s “Fresh Baked,” Threshold Theater’s “More 4Play” and Plains Art Museum’s Spring Gala.
by Emily Bright

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‘Your own Minnesota badge of honor’: The Rebel Loon becomes walking resistance artwork

‘Your own Minnesota badge of honor’: The Rebel Loon becomes walking resistance artwork

The Rebel Loon, a round graphic of the state bird with wings outstretched above it — has become a symbol of Minnesotan's response to the immigration enforcement surge. It didn’t take long for the arts world to adapt it into anything imaginable, including tattoos.
by Anika Besst

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New documentary explores history of Minneapolis West Bank’s influential, funky music scene

New documentary explores history of Minneapolis West Bank’s influential, funky music scene

The new Twin Cities PBS documentary “Wild West Bank Sound” explores how Cedar-Riverside, otherwise known as the West Bank in Minneapolis, became a center for music in the 1960s and beyond.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Thoroughly Modern Lisl: A new book tells the story of the woman who was Minnesota's first Modern architect

Thoroughly Modern Lisl: A new book tells the story of the woman who was Minnesota's first Modern architect

Architectural historian Jane King Hession has been studying the work of Minnesota’s first Modernist architect Elizabeth “Lisl” Scheu Close for decades, even conducting an oral history with the architect in 2000 for the Minnesota Historical Society.
by Alex V. Cipolle

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘Flourish’ by Daniel Coyle 

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Flourish’ by Daniel Coyle 

Brie Taralson of Lykke Books in New Ulm recommends “Flourish” by Daniel Coyle.
by Emily Bright

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‘For our future generations’: New play set in Alaska Native village explores healing and relationships

‘For our future generations’: New play set in Alaska Native village explores healing and relationships

A new play set in a small Alaska village follows its community members as they learn to heal from generational trauma. The play is produced by New Native Theatre, a nonprofit theater company based in St. Paul.
by Chandra Colvin

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In 'Good People,' the story depends on who's telling it

In 'Good People,' the story depends on who's telling it

Looking for the next novel to stir things up at your book club and get everyone talking? Kerri Miller says “Good People” has it all — competing stories, competing cultures and a crime at the center of it all.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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MN Shortlist, April 24-30: Little Women, Fallout, accordions and more

MN Shortlist, April 24-30: Little Women, Fallout, accordions and more

This week’s MN Shortlist features a great American novel adapted for the stage, music from a video game-turned-TV show and Parisian cafes, a new rural arts space and the regional premiere of a play that recounts part of the European migrant crisis.
by Alex V. Cipolle and Jacob Aloi

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Basilica Block Party comes to an end

Basilica Block Party comes to an end

The annual Minneapolis music festival has come to an end, after a sporadic few years of events.
by Estelle Timar-Wilcox

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