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.

Talking Volumes: A conversation with author Chang-rae Lee
Award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Chang-rae Lee’s past works have incorporated issues of race, class and immigration in the United States. MPR News guest host Brandt Williams interviewed Lee as part of Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune’s Talking Volumes: Talking Race series.
When your fad diet fails, and it probably will, 'Just Eat'
Diets often fail in the long term because they're too strict or require unnatural eating habits. In a new book, Barry Estabrook turns to science and history to find a weight-loss regimen that works.
'Arrested Development' actor Jessica Walter dies at 80
The actor’s best-known film roles included playing the stalker in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 thriller, “Play Misty for Me.” “Arrested Development” represented a second act for Walter, and earned her admiration from a new generation of fans. Walter’s daughter says the actor will be remembered for her work and for her wit, class and love of life. 
There are 45,000 laws, policies and administrative sanctions in the U.S. that target people with criminal records. Reuben Jonathan Miller researches how they affect people's lives in Halfway Home.
Farcical 'Life Of The Mind' skewers academic life and adjunct 'hell'
A graduate student is teaching four courses while also trying to finish a dissertation. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Christine Smallwood's new novel one of the wittiest she's read in a long time.
With 'Fierce Poise,' Helen Frankenthaler poured beauty onto canvas
Abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler poured pools of highly diluted pigments onto her raw canvases. Biographer Alexander Nemerov says her paintings are "about feeling the world."
Elton John opens his Oscar night party to all this year
Attending Elton John's long-running Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get. Now you can go — if you have $20.