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.

'70s music journalism gets an overdue rewrite in debut novel 'Opal & Nev'
Dawnie Walton's novel is a faux oral history about an interracial rock duo. Opal is a Black proto Afro-punk singer from Detroit, and Nev is a goofy white British singer-songwriter.
What the rise of Amazon has to do with the rise of Trump
The new book “Fulfillment,” by Alec MacGillis, looks at America's economic history — as well as its future — through the lens of Amazon.
May's YA brings unlikely connections between very different stories
At first glance, “The Ones We're Meant to Find” and “Luck of the Titanic” don't have much in common — one's historical, one's dystopia. But as you read, you'll see surprising thematic connections.
In David Yoon's new novel, resetting the internet to 'Version Zero'
David Yoon draws on his own experience working in tech for his new novel, about a disillusioned data whiz who decides to, literally, reboot the internet — with some catastrophic consequences.
Ask a Bookseller: A novel celebrating everyday beauty
Stephanie Hochschild of The Book Stall in Winnetka, Illinois, knows the book that she is recommending sounds quiet and simple, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. Far from it. The novel is “Leonard and Hungry Paul” by debut Irish author and musician Rónán Heston, and it recently came out in paperback. 
What's more punk than teens screaming in a public library?
The Linda Lindas, a punk group made up of Asian and Latinx teen and pre-teens, went viral this week after a performance of their song "Racist, Sexist Boy" was posted by the Los Angeles Public Library.
A movement memorialized: Plywood art honoring George Floyd goes on display
As Twin Cities businesses put up plywood last year to protect their windows from rioters, people with paint brushes and spray cans followed behind. An exhibit of some of those paintings goes on display Saturday in Minneapolis to commemorate the anniversary of George Floyd’s death.