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.

Fresh off a Pitbull tour, Twin Cities jazz artist Lucia Sarmiento returns ready to lead
Fresh off a tour with internationally famous rapper and singer Pitbull, Lucia Sarmiento is back in the Twin Cities and ready to take the lead as a solo artist. Sarmiento joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about her work in the local jazz scene and her upcoming album to be released this summer.
Ask a Bookseller: Groundhog’s Day meets freshman year of college
Barrett Bloom is a freshman in college having a terrible day. She shows up at her Physics 101 class only to be put on the spot in front of everyone for no reason by her unbearably annoying classmate, Miles. She’s never even seen him before! Or has she?
Writer Meghan O'Rourke discusses the invisibility of chronic illness
Trying to pinpoint the source of a chronic illness is a murky road for patients, especially when their symptoms morph and move around the body. Writer Meghan O’Rourke found herself hitting dead ends when trying to get a diagnosis for her disease. She joins MPR News host Kerri Miller in this edition of Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk about how we might better see those who suffer from a chronic illness.
Members of the Ukrainian community gathered in Minneapolis on Thursday to celebrate International Vyshyvanka Day. Vyshyvankas are traditional embroidered clothing that are considered a form of spiritual armor in Ukrainian culture.
Artists memorialize the racial justice movement that Floyd murder sparked
Leesa Kelly founded Memorialize the Movement nearly two years ago to save the paintings that artists created during the week of heartache and rage that followed the police murder of George Floyd. 
Art Hounds: Photographer's art reflects on parenthood and the pandemic
Form + Content Gallery in Minneapolis celebrates 15 years with its “Thoughtful Dialogue” exhibit. Photographer Andy Richter’s exhibit “Walking with Julien” is on view both at Artspace Jackson Flats in Minneapolis and on storefronts in Northeast Minneapolis where the photographs were taken. And Duluth Dylan Fest caps the city’s “Year of Dylan” with a week-long festival of music.
Many know how George Floyd died. A new biography reveals how he lived
NPR's Adrian Florido talks with Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa about their new book, “His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice.”
From the archives: Dr. Danielle Ofri on how to communicate with your health care provider
Medical technology has advanced exponentially. So why are patient-physician relationships stuck in the past? That’s the heart of the question in Dr. Danielle Ofri’s book, “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear.” Enjoy this archive offering from 2017 as you get ready for Friday’s conversation between Kerri Miller and author Megan O’Rourke about the difficulty of getting doctors to take chronic illnesses seriously.