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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.

The Minnesota Orchestra celebrates rarely-heard Black classical composers

The Minnesota Orchestra celebrates rarely-heard Black classical composers

Louise Toppin, performer, scholar and professor, speaks with host Cathy Wurzer about the rarely-heard Black composers being highlighted in a new performance by the Minnesota Orchestra happening Oct. 7.
by Gretchen Brown and Cathy Wurzer

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Loretta Lynn, coal miner's daughter and country queen, dies

Loretta Lynn, coal miner's daughter and country queen, dies

Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky coal miner’s daughter who became a pillar of country music, has died. Lynn's family said she died Tuesday at her home in Tennessee. She was 90.
by The Associated Press

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Radio program reaches out to Latinos living ‘between worlds’

Radio program reaches out to Latinos living ‘between worlds’

As the state’s Latino community continues to grow it’s becoming more important to provide relevant news and information on a wider scale. To do that, a grassroots organization has begun an app-based radio station to keep Latinos in Minnesota up to date.
by Vicki Adame

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Twin Cities Arab Festival is a “home away from home” for Minnesota Arab community

Twin Cities Arab Festival is a “home away from home” for Minnesota Arab community

Filmmakers from Arab, Southwest Asian and North African communities are showcasing years of hard work at the festival, which serves as a space of representation for Minnesota's Arab community.
by Sarah Thamer

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Twin Cities sees strong showing of Asian American theater

Twin Cities sees strong showing of Asian American theater

The Guthrie’s opening play, “Vietgone” is just one of several productions featuring Asian American playwrights, directors and casts.
by Jacob Aloi

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Boyah J. Farah on how America made him a Black man

Boyah J. Farah on how America made him a Black man

Boyah J. Farah fell in love with America as a refugee escaping war in Somalia. But it’s become a sometimes painful and deeply complicated relationship. Farah new memoir, “America Made Me a Black Man,” is a poetic, thoughtful and honest accounting of his journey.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Oscar Pettiford changed the sound of American music

Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Oscar Pettiford changed the sound of American music

Jazz pioneer Oscar Pettiford got his start on the stages of the Twin Cities, helping create a "Minneapolis sound" long before Prince. His innovations made him one of the most influential bass players of the bebop era. A century after his birth, that legacy endures.
by Tim Nelson

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