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.

5 new mysteries and thrillers for the start of summer
These new releases might take you from Europe to Africa to the Middle East to Russia and the United States — without leaving your hammock.
6 takeaways from the 2023 Tony Awards
The theater was sweltering. There was no script. And yet it was a swift, entertaining show.
Tony Awards 2023: Here's the list of major winners with photos
History was made, as Alex Newell became the first nonbinary actor to win a Tony and J. Harrison Ghee the second. We'll be updating this winners list throughout the night.
To rebuild Notre Dame's fire-ravaged roof, carpenters use centuries-old techniques
When fire engulfed the Paris landmark in 2019, the intricate maze of medieval beams supporting the roof fell to the cathedral floor. Experts are working to restore the church by the end of 2024.
Arts Briefs: Art for the birds
In this week’s Arts Briefs, art to prevent bird collisions, a retrospective of one of the Walker’s biggest donors and Irish music. Also in Absolute Bleeding Edge: How do we talk about art monsters?
How music venues can make concerts accessible to more people
Minnesota musicians and members of disability communities describe what it would take to create more welcoming live music spaces.  
Fire fans and a flaming octopus: See this fire troupe's free show in Minneapolis
Northern Fire Dynamic is putting on a free fire performance at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The group formed in 2017 and now at 33 members, the community shares skills, leadership and performances with one another as they flow with fire.
What it really means to be all-American
Joe Milan Jr.’s debut novel, “The All-American,” circles around questions of identity. Can you be American without the paperwork to prove it?
Relationships are the true heart of 1940s dystopian novel 'Kallocain'
Karin Boye's novel is an outlier in that it was authored by a woman and, though narrated by a man, still expresses interest in women's inner life and acknowledges the subtleties of sexism.