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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.

Percival Everett's latest combines racial allegory in history, horror and blood

Percival Everett's latest combines racial allegory in history, horror and blood

In “The Trees,” Everett revisits the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, imagining a series of similar killings in the same small Mississippi town. Mixing horror, humor and insight, it's impossible to put down.
by Carole V. Bell

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The Minnesota fall bucket list

The Minnesota fall bucket list

The fall season in Minnesota is spectacular but fleeting! Here’s a list of all the things you should see and do before the leaves fly and the lakes freeze.
by Sara Porter

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Make this 'Fortnight in September' your pandemic escape

Make this 'Fortnight in September' your pandemic escape

R.C. Sherriff's recently reissued 1931 novel, which follows a British family on their two-week holiday, is a reflection on how time changes shape in periods like a vacation — or even a pandemic.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Watch a massive violin transport musicians down Venice's Grand Canal

Watch a massive violin transport musicians down Venice's Grand Canal

The wooden vessel is called "Noah's Violin." As it floated through Venice's Grand Canal on Saturday, members of the string quartet on board serenaded viewers with their own (real) instruments.
by Rachel Treisman

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Five takeaways from a big Emmy night for a short list of shows

Five takeaways from a big Emmy night for a short list of shows

“The Crown,” “Hacks,” “Ted Lasso” and “The Queen's Gambit” all did well on Sunday night. But the Emmys also laid bare the problems with production and representation that plague nearly every awards season.
by Linda Holmes

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Despite the title, we bet you'll like this YA novel — a lot

Despite the title, we bet you'll like this YA novel — a lot

Michelle Quach's immensely lovable YA debut “Not Here to Be Liked” centers on Eliza, who's just been done out of her dream job as editor of the high school paper by an unqualified but very charming boy.
by Alethea Kontis

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Ask a Bookseller: A climate-change driven YA sci-fi

Ask a Bookseller: A climate-change driven YA sci-fi

Lauren Abesames of Wind City Books in Casper, Wyo., loves young adult fiction, and first on her list of recent books to recommend was “The Ones We’re Meant to Find” by Joan He.
by Emily Bright

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'Murmuration' — a book that travels from Somalia to Minnesota

'Murmuration' — a book that travels from Somalia to Minnesota

“Murmuration” is a new novel by Sid Balman, Jr. It’s a thriller that travels the globe from West Texas to Somalia and Minnesota. He had help from local businessman and politician Samakab Hussein. Angela Davis talks to the pair about their collaboration.
by Angela Davis and Susan Davis

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Celebrating Mixed Blood's founder Jack Reuler

Celebrating Mixed Blood's founder Jack Reuler

Host Angela Davis talked with Jack Reuler, the founder of Mixed Blood Theatre who is retiring after 45 years.
by Angela Davis and Susan Davis

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