Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

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.

These unclaimed Afghan studio portraits bear witness to decades of history

These unclaimed Afghan studio portraits bear witness to decades of history

In the back rooms of Kabul's photo shops, thousands of photos dating as far back as 40-plus years sit unclaimed. It remains to be seen if these photo studios can survive a new period of Taliban rule.
by Lynzy Billing

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Ask a Bookseller: Epic fates and myth in this novel set in ancient Greece

Ask a Bookseller: Epic fates and myth in this novel set in ancient Greece

To wrap up September’s theme of books for kids, teens and in-between, Rosalind Casey of Books of Wonder in Manhattan recommended “Amber and Clay” by Newberry Medal-winning author Laura Amy Schlitz.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Art Hounds 'hunt' for artists in Rochester

Art Hounds 'hunt' for artists in Rochester

Artists open gallery spaces for the public to explore in Rochester’s Hiding Artists Tour. This week’s Art Hounds also recommend exhibits by Barbara McIlrath and Stuart Loughridge at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis, and by Kelly Schamberger at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery in Grand Marais.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Communication is the challenge in this novel of loss and discovery

Communication is the challenge in this novel of loss and discovery

Jon McGregor's new novel follows an expedition guide who suffers a stroke in the middle of an Antarctic ice storm and loses the ability to speak — and the people around him at a loss for what to say.
by Lily Meyer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Abstract art created during Chauvin verdict goes up for auction

Abstract art created during Chauvin verdict goes up for auction

The starting bid for Minneapolis artist seangarrison’s “Walking on Air,” which he painted outside the Hennepin County Government Center, is $150,000. The sale will benefit Youth Link MN and the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, as well as the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama.
by Cathy Wurzer and Lindsay Guentzel

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
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

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!