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.

This rare Bob Ross painting in Minneapolis could be yours — for close to $10M
The late pop culture icon once said he painted over 30,000 works of art in his lifetime, but it's still rare for an authenticated Ross piece to come on the market let alone one with this much history.
'The Care and Keeping of You,' American Girl's guide to puberty, turns 25
“The Care and Keeping of You” from American Girl eased the adolescent anxieties of the millennial and Gen Z girls who read it. Now the book is marking its 25th anniversary.
Ask a Bookseller: 'Bathe the Cat'
This week's book is a “phenomenal read-aloud,” according to Jessica Palacios of Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose, Calif.
Healing from trauma in the northern Wisconsin woods
Novelist Carol Dunbar set “A Winter’s Rime” in rural Wisconsin so her main character can both howl and heal the generational trauma that has shaped her life.
Review: Portraits of women: 'The Chinese Lady' and 'Mary’s Wondrous Body'
Open Eye Theatre launched its season with “The Chinese Lady,” exploring America’s historical objectification of Asian American women; while Elision Playhouse presents “Mary’s Wondrous Body,” tackling reproductive rights and medical abuse.
Art Hounds: Finding wonder in Bigfork
Terry Leinbach’s abstract show “Wonder” lives up to its name at the Edge Gallery in Bigfork. “The (Almost) Complete and (Mostly) Accurate History of Alcohol” offers laughs and food for thought at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. Poets & Pints marks its 100th poetry reading Sept. 20 at Sisyphus Brewing in Minneapolis.