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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.

Old bank in Minneapolis to become an incubator for Black-owned businesses

Old bank in Minneapolis to become an incubator for Black-owned businesses

An old, dilapidated bank building on 42nd and Lyndale Avenue is getting a new life. Anissa Keyes is turning the Camden Park State Bank into an incubator for Black-owned businesses. She gave MPR News host Tom Crann a tour of the space before its soft opening on July 11.
by Megan Burks and Tom Crann

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Why Alison Bechdel's 'Dykes to Watch Out For' is still popular after nearly 40 years

Why Alison Bechdel's 'Dykes to Watch Out For' is still popular after nearly 40 years

Alison Bechdel is the author of a comic strip that — nearly 40 years after its creation — is still getting attention. “Dykes To Watch Out For” ran from 1983 to 2008. It gained a worldwide cult following for its game-changing portrayal of American queer life set in Minneapolis.
by Ellen Finn, Melissa Townsend and Sam Stroozas

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Festival aims to celebrate Afro-Latino culture and fight 'erasure'

Festival aims to celebrate Afro-Latino culture and fight 'erasure'

AfroLatinidad — Vibras de la Diaspora not only celebrates and embraces Afro-Latinidad, but also educates on what it means to be Latino.
by Vicki Adame

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From the archives: Author and activist Reginald Dwayne Betts on the power of books

From the archives: Author and activist Reginald Dwayne Betts on the power of books

This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas will be a conversation between host Kerri Miller and Leila Mottley, who penned “Nightcrawling,” one of the hottest books this summer. As we anticipate that, enjoy this Talking Volumes from 2021 with poet, activist and author Reginald Dwayne Betts. Like Mottley, he brings the deep questions about being a Black person in America to scrutiny in the most beautiful and haunting ways.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'The Poet's House' is a droll coming-of-age story — and an absolute keeper of a novel

'The Poet's House' is a droll coming-of-age story — and an absolute keeper of a novel

Jean Thompson's novel follows an insecure young woman as she's drawn into a clique of poets. “The Poet's House” is a story about the corrosive power of shame and the primal fear of sounding stupid.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Influential theater director Peter Brook dies at 97

Influential theater director Peter Brook dies at 97

Brook's work ranged from classical star-studded productions to radical experiments in theater. He reinvented “King Lear” and explored the fragility of civilization in the film “Lord of the Flies.”
by Bob Mondello

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New St. Paul art exhibit challenges what it means to be 'ladylike'

New St. Paul art exhibit challenges what it means to be 'ladylike'

“La.dy.like” offers a deep look at femininity, gender norms, sexism — and who gets to define the terms. Artists Andrea Bagdon and Spencer Gillespie open the exhibit this weekend in St. Paul
by Sam Stroozas

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