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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.

Delia Ephron on surviving cancer and the defiance of falling in love in your 70s

Delia Ephron on surviving cancer and the defiance of falling in love in your 70s

In her new memoir “Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life,” Delia Ephron writes about losing her first husband, finding new love, and how surviving cancer has changed her outlook on life.
by Terry Gross

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The Library of Congress adds 25 titles, including Alicia Keys and Ricky Martin

The Library of Congress adds 25 titles, including Alicia Keys and Ricky Martin

The Library of Congress adds 25 new recordings to a national registry every year to be preserved for posterity. The 2022 list includes an album by Alicia Keys and historical broadcasts from WNYC.
by Neda Ulaby

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'Pandemic, Inc.' author says financial predators made more than $1 billion off COVID

'Pandemic, Inc.' author says financial predators made more than $1 billion off COVID

In his new book, ProPublica reporter J. David McSwane says a shocking number of companies that received funds at the beginning of the pandemic to distribute protective gear had no experience doing so.
by Dave Davies

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From the archives: Physicist Lisa Randall on dark matter, meteoroids and the demise of the dinosaurs

From the archives: Physicist Lisa Randall on dark matter, meteoroids and the demise of the dinosaurs

This Friday, MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with Emily St. John Mandel about her much-anticipated and just released novel “Sea of Tranquility.” It asks some big philosophical and science fiction questions about time travel. So as a throwback, we thought you’d enjoy this 2015 conversation with astrophysicist Lisa Randall, who says there’s a closer parallel between imagination and science than you might guess.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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As 'The Velveteen Rabbit' turns 100, its message continues to resonate

As 'The Velveteen Rabbit' turns 100, its message continues to resonate

"To engage children's interest in anything you have to be keenly interested in that thing yourself," Margery Williams Bianco wrote in 1925. Her story endures because it connects to so many people.
by Elizabeth Blair

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New book puts history of racial exclusion in Minnesota in 'plain view'

New book puts history of racial exclusion in Minnesota in 'plain view'

For "Whiteness in Plain View: A History of Racial Exclusion in Minnesota," Chad Montrie, a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, researched how white Minnesotans used legal and illegal means to prevent people of color from coming to the state, to drive them out or segregate them. 
by Brandt Williams

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How 'SNL' alum Molly Shannon found profound healing after childhood tragedy

How 'SNL' alum Molly Shannon found profound healing after childhood tragedy

Shannon's new memoir, “Hello, Molly!” opens with the car crash that killed her mother and sister when Shannon was 4. She says, for a long time, she was motivated by a desire to make her mom proud.
by Terry Gross

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Ask a Bookseller: 'Lessons in Chemistry'

Ask a Bookseller: 'Lessons in Chemistry'

"If you can imagine Julia Child channeling a little bit of Lucille Ball, and all of the science edginess of Madame Curie, then you'll have a really good idea of the humor and the wit and the warmth that just shine through this entire novel," says Crowe.
by Emily Bright

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