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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.

Lake Superior's shipwrecked history on full display in 'Too Much Sea for their Decks'

Lake Superior's shipwrecked history on full display in 'Too Much Sea for their Decks'

While the Great Lakes have been vital to the American economy, they’ve also shown the ships — and the crews of people on them — harrowing, sometimes life-threatening storms.
by Cathy Wurzer and Ellen Finn

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Jamie Lee Curtis' graphic novel shows how 'We're blowing it with Mother Nature'

Jamie Lee Curtis' graphic novel shows how 'We're blowing it with Mother Nature'

This project was motivated by the climate crisis: "We are heading into a very, very dangerous place," Curtis says. The story explores the environmental decisions one generation makes for the next.
by Mandalit del Barco

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All aboard the Flotsam! Ragtag circus floats on a Mississippi River adventure

All aboard the Flotsam! Ragtag circus floats on a Mississippi River adventure

The group of musicians, comedians and actors created a spectacle from found objects and handmade things. Over the course of about a month, they'll wind their watery way down to St. Louis, Mo., stopping at towns along the way.
by Olivia Stevens

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Review: Theater Mu’s Kung Fu Zombies Saga is a thought-provoking spectacle 

Review: Theater Mu’s Kung Fu Zombies Saga is a thought-provoking spectacle 

Theater Mu’s “Kung Fu Zombies Saga” at the Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis offers a gripping two-act epic that combines family, grief and survival — with elements of hip hop, Southeast Asian mythology and 1980s cinema — delivering standout performances and fight choreography through Aug. 13.
by Jacob Aloi

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There's money in Magic: The booming business of rare game cards

There's money in Magic: The booming business of rare game cards

For decades, sports have led the pack in the trading card market. Now, as celebrities shell out millions for rare game cards, fantasy characters are giving star athletes a run for their money.
by Emma Bowman

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A firsthand account of hip-hop's early days in Minnesota

A firsthand account of hip-hop's early days in Minnesota

Derrick Stevens shares his firsthand experience as a witness to and participant in the birth of hip-hop and in its emergence in the Twin Cities.

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This writer shares the right (and wrong) ways to honor Indigenous spirituality

This writer shares the right (and wrong) ways to honor Indigenous spirituality

From the special series Enlighten Me with Rachel Martin: Sometimes we find belonging in the most unexpected places. And sometimes, we find it buried deep in our own histories — in our own family legacies, as Patty Krawec did.
by Rachel Martin

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