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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.

J.P. Morgan's personal librarian was a Black woman. This is her story.

J.P. Morgan's personal librarian was a Black woman. This is her story.

Belle Da Costa Greene was one of the most prominent career women of her time, but the world didn't know she was Black. A new novel from Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray tells her story.
by Karen Grigsby Bates

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A late bloomer makes the case for rejecting life's typical timeline

A late bloomer makes the case for rejecting life's typical timeline

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Doree Shafrir about her book “Thanks for Waiting” and the obstacles and victories of postponing the usual milestones of success for women like marriage, kids and a career.
by Ailsa Chang, Elena Burnett and Justine Kenin

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Happy days: Actress Marion Ross returns to Albert Lea for unveiling of statue in her honor

Happy days: Actress Marion Ross returns to Albert Lea for unveiling of statue in her honor

For a generation of viewers, she was America's favorite TV mom. And now Marion Ross, who played Marion Cunningham — "Mrs. C" — on "Happy Days" amid a long Hollywood career, is back in her hometown of Albert Lea, Minn., for the unveiling of a statue in her honor.
by Laurel Poole

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Fierce girls and giant robots battle an empire in this YA adventure

Fierce girls and giant robots battle an empire in this YA adventure

In Zoe Hana Mikuta's new “Gearbreakers,” a talented pilot and a daring rebel have the same goal — take down a giant, evil empire. But first, they have to learn to trust each other — and maybe more.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Art Hounds recommend summer sweets

Art Hounds recommend summer sweets

Jodi Reeb’s new exhibit turns beeswax into paintings, a debut album by Champagne Drops celebrates female friendship and mother-daughter relationships and the Hovland Arts Festival celebrates 15 years.
by Emily Bright

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The first wave of post-Trump books arrives. And they fight to make sense of the chaos

The first wave of post-Trump books arrives. And they fight to make sense of the chaos

Authors are unearthing fresh details on the pandemic response and election fallout. The difficulty they face discerning the truth and meaning from all of that reflects the turmoil of the Trump years.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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What transitioning taught a transgender pastor about power, sex and patriarchy

What transitioning taught a transgender pastor about power, sex and patriarchy

When Paula Stone Williams announced she was going to transition from being a man to being a woman, her world imploded. She lost her job as a Christian leader, and her family was in turmoil. In her new memoir, she shares what she discovered about herself, what it means to be transgender, and what she learned about the patriarchy as she lives her life as a strong woman.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'Cardboard Kingdom' is about so much more than just cardboard

'Cardboard Kingdom' is about so much more than just cardboard

Chad Sell's new “Cardboard Kingdom” book is, at least on the cover, about kids who make beasts and monsters out of cardboard — but really, it's about little kids who aren't quite ready to be big.
by Juanita Giles

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Radio Camp 2021: Youth staying resilient and fighting for change in trying times

Radio Camp 2021: Youth staying resilient and fighting for change in trying times

From teen activists to sports players and the youngest member ever elected to St. Paul’s City Council, 16 students from diverse background showcase stories of youth empowering each other and making changes in their lives and communities — through inspiring, sound-rich radio storytelling.
by MPR News Staff

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