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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.

Jane Goodall encourages all to act to save Earth in 'The Book of Hope'

Jane Goodall encourages all to act to save Earth in 'The Book of Hope'

The primatologist says it's crucial that young people know how positive action can still shift the frightening trajectories of climate crisis, biodiversity loss and the ongoing global pandemic.
by Barbara J. King

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She barely made it out of Kabul. Now she's welcoming Afghans with a familiar meal.

She barely made it out of Kabul. Now she's welcoming Afghans with a familiar meal.

A restaurant in Washington, D.C., is offering donated welcome meals of traditional food to newly arriving Afghans. The chef cooking those meals knows what it's like to leave home and family behind.
by Joel Rose

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Ask a Bookseller: A unique murder mystery

Ask a Bookseller: A unique murder mystery

Leading up to Halloween, Jordyn Stocks of Piragis Northwoods Company in Ely, Minn., recommended the mystery novel “The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton.
by Emily Bright

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Hibbing unveils new hometown tribute to Bob Dylan

Hibbing unveils new hometown tribute to Bob Dylan

The new public art tribute is located outside of Hibbing High School, where Dylan graduated in 1959. It includes lyric fragments from over 50 songs he wrote and an inscription of the Nobel Prize in literature that the musician was awarded in 2016.
by Dan Kraker

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Meet Minnesota’s new poet laureate Gwen Westerman

Meet Minnesota’s new poet laureate Gwen Westerman

Host Angela Davis talks to Gwen Westerman about poetry, Dakota history, quilting and how she’ll use her new role to draw attention to underrepresented poets in the state. 
by Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

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Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says all is not lost

Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe says all is not lost

Don’t despair! That’s the message from climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. There is a path forward when it comes to saving the planet. And it begins with you.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'Why We Fly' flips dusty old cheerleader stereotypes upside down

'Why We Fly' flips dusty old cheerleader stereotypes upside down

In their new YA novel, Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal tell the story of a cheerleading squad whose white captain convinces them to take a knee to protest injustice — and the backlash that follows.
by Alethea Kontis

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Oxford English Dictionary rides the K-wave with a big Korean update

Oxford English Dictionary rides the K-wave with a big Korean update

The influence of Korean culture has reached the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary: 26 new words related to Korean culture were added and 11 words were revised.
by Tien Le

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Minnesota Zoo's missing owl, Gladys, has died

Minnesota Zoo's missing owl, Gladys, has died

Zoo staff searched for the bird, known as Gladys, and predicted she was somewhere within the zoo. Gladys was found injured on the side of a road Thursday morning, but died before zoo staff could treat her.
by Ava Ewald

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