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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.

New theatre performance helps the audience create rituals to deal with loss

New theatre performance helps the audience create rituals to deal with loss

On Friday, Aug. 19, Wonderlust Productions opens their new interactive performance “Lost and Found” on an island in the Mississippi River. The performance is meant to engage people in creating rituals to acknowledge ambiguous loss — the losses we have all suffered but could not grieve. Leah Cooper, the Co-Artistic Director of Wonderlust Productions, speaks with Cathy Wurzer about the idea behind the “performance” and what those involved can expect.
by Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

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Afghan women raise their voices in two new anthologies

Afghan women raise their voices in two new anthologies

This week marks a year since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. But the Taliban hasn't succeeded in silencing Afghan women, whose voices ring out in two new and powerful collections.
by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

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Butch Thompson, jazz pianist with 'A Prairie Home Companion' dies

Butch Thompson, jazz pianist with 'A Prairie Home Companion' dies

When Thompson was 12, he saw Louis Armstrong perform in Minneapolis at the Northrop Auditorium, which fueled his early pursuit of jazz.
by Jacob Aloi

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N. Scott Momaday reflects on how Native stories shaped his imagination

N. Scott Momaday reflects on how Native stories shaped his imagination

This week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas conversation is with debut novelist Oscar Hokeah about his book, “Calling for a Blanket Dance.” During his discussion with host Kerri Miller, they were both delighted to discover they share a love of Native American poet and writer N. Scott Momaday. Since Miller spoke with Momaday in 2021, we decided to pull this one from the archives for all to enjoy.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Why Salman Rushdie's work sparked decades of controversy

Why Salman Rushdie's work sparked decades of controversy

Indian-born British author Salman Rushdie was brutally attacked on Friday. He has been the subject of death threats since his book The Satanic Verses was published in 1988.
by Juliana Kim

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Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández explores the linked histories of the U.S. and Mexico

Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández explores the linked histories of the U.S. and Mexico

The history of the United States is inextricably linked with the history of Mexico — even if most Americans don’t know it. On this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, historian Kelly Lytle Hernández explains how the Mexican Revolution was incited by a band of rebels who set up base in the United States, and how that struggle shaped the borderlands today.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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