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.

Minnesota is more than home to author William Kent Krueger. It’s a central character in most of his books. Kruger talked about it — and about his primary human character, Cork O’Connor — at a special spring Talking Volumes in Duluth earlier this month.
Rainbow Scandinavia: Duluth artist Kirsten Aune puts a kaleidoscopic spin on textile folk art 
Kirsten Aune, a textile artist in Duluth, showcases her vibrant Scandinavian-inspired works in her colorful showroom, combining stenciling and silkscreen-printing techniques and preparing for an upcoming group show
Dams are an often overlooked source of greenhouse gas emissions
It turns out dams emit greenhouse gas — a lot of it. Just how much do they emit and why are some rivers better off left to flow naturally? Steven Hawley, author of “Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World,” discusses what a world without dams could bring.
Folk and blues legend Lead Belly’s Minneapolis private party
Folk and blues singer Huddie Ledbetter performed a short concert at a friend’s Minneapolis home in 1948. Instead of being lost in music history, someone decided to record it.
A Native radio station's long, influential reach after Wounded Knee
It’s been 40 years since the Midwest’s first Native American radio station went on the air. KILI Radio on the Pine Ridge reservation serves as an inspiration for many Minnesotans, including Alfred Walking Bull of Minneapolis.
Bigg Kiaa makes a big splash in Minneapolis music scene
At just 20 years old, Nakia Neal is making a name for herself in the Minneapolis music scene as Bigg Kiaa. Bigg Kiaa earns her name with her energy and personality each time she performs. 
Music programs in Minnesota prisons aim to make change
The Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and Radical Reversal seek to make change through providing access to recording equipment to the incarcerated.  
From the archives: William Kent Krueger on 'Lightning Strike'
This Friday on Big Books and Bold Ideas, you’ll hear Kerri Miller’s spring Talking Volumes conversation with Minnesota author Kent Krueger. So it’s only fitting that our archive this week is Krueger’s last appearance at Talking Volumes in 2021.