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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.

Peter Robbins, who voiced Charlie Brown in the 1960s, has died

Peter Robbins, who voiced Charlie Brown in the 1960s, has died

As a child actor, Robbins voiced one of Charlie Brown's most famous lines — "I got a rock" — in “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”
by Bill Chappell

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Women are underrepresented in music industry. This MN DJ is putting more women on air.

Women are underrepresented in music industry. This MN DJ is putting more women on air.

Only 20 percent of artists on the 2020 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Charts were women. Kari Hedlund, music director at KAXE/KBXE community radio, told host Cathy Wurzer about her mission to put more music by women on the air.
by Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

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'Honor' is a searing meditation on the meaning of dignity in a dehumanizing world

'Honor' is a searing meditation on the meaning of dignity in a dehumanizing world

Thrity Umrigar's novel is about India's humanitarian crisis — with its depictions of misogyny and scenes of public shaming, mistreatment and torture — but it's also about a transformative journey.
by Sharmila Mukherjee

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Great Northern Festival celebrates winter culture through art, sport and discussion

Great Northern Festival celebrates winter culture through art, sport and discussion

Over the next 10 days, the Great Northern Festival’s events will encourage Minnesotans to celebrate winter culture, while especially considering climate change and the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.
by Euan Kerr

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Want to understand the U.S.? This historian says the South holds the key

Want to understand the U.S.? This historian says the South holds the key

Imani Perry says the South can be seen as an "origin point" for the way the nation operates. Her book “South to America” reflects on the region's history and traces the steps of an enslaved ancestor.
by Dave Davies

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'And I say, Hey! HEY!' Aardvark Arthur's wonderful new days are ending

'And I say, Hey! HEY!' Aardvark Arthur's wonderful new days are ending

The world-famous aardvark first appeared in print over 45 years ago. The Emmy and Peabody award-winning TV show is about to begin its 25th and final season — and creator Marc Brown has a new book.
by Elizabeth Blair

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Meet the Minnesotan who wrote a novel in Japanese — and then got it published

Meet the Minnesotan who wrote a novel in Japanese — and then got it published

When Marnie Jorenby sets herself a challenge, she doesn't hold back. Not only did she decide to write a novel, she decided she’d write it in Japanese and get it published in Japan. It took a while, but she did it.
by Euan Kerr

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'Fro-gahhh' — It's frozen yoga, and it's happening on Lake Harriet

'Fro-gahhh' — It's frozen yoga, and it's happening on Lake Harriet

Winter in Minnesota means cross-country skiing, ice skating and … yoga on the surface of a frozen lake. We sent producer Lindsay Guentzel to the Art Shanty Projects on Lake Harriet to learn more about “fro-gahhh” firsthand, and then host Cathy Wurzer spoke to one of the instructors (from the relative warmth of a studio).
by Cathy Wurzer and Lindsay Guentzel

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