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.

Before COVID, TB was the world's worst pathogen. It's still a 'monster' killer
It was under control. And then it wasn't. In her new book “Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History,” VIdya Krishnan shows how "we repeat the same disease-spreading mistakes over and over."
Grandma's garden of magical rocks is 'Where Wonder Grows'
A grandmother brings her granddaughters to her special garden, where they learn about their connection to nature and tell stories about magical rocks, seashells, crystals and meteorites.
Ask a Bookseller: 2020 captured in words and images
Donna Garban of Little City Books in Hoboken, N.J., says she knows to order multiple copies every time Jason Reynolds, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, puts out a new book.
Love, romance and comedy on Valentine’s Day
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a romance writer and a comedian with two different takes on romance and Valentine’s Day.
New theater production doesn't shy away from taking on serious issues
Coco’s Barrio began as a live performance show that’s part old time radio and part “Saturday Night Live.” But then the pandemic turned everything upside down. Now the show is a podcast.
'Open' explores polyamorous relationships through personal experience
“Bustle” editor Rachel Krantz's memoir is a sincere and curious reckoning with the cultural messaging we all receive about gendered expectations and power dynamics in romantic and sexual relationships.
'Cost of Living' considers the real price of the U.S. health care system
Emily Maloney's essay collection is an indictment of the exorbitant costs of staying alive in America, and the weight of being hounded by a debt that reduces your life to dollars and cents.
Art Hounds: Take your Valentine to the theater
Bucket Brigade times the end of its 10th anniversary run of “Till Death: A Marriage Musical” to Valentine’s Day. Theatre in the Round stages “Marjorie Prime,” an award-winning play that brings a sci-fi lens to aging and memory. And singer/songwriter John Gorka performs at the State Theatre in Zumbrota.