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.

Photos: Portrait project highlights community connections during the pandemic
Katie Howie has photographed more than 115 people for her project, “By a Thread: Pandemic Portraits.” She describes the project as a living history because the people she photographs also share thoughts about their lives during the pandemic. 
A boy named 'Milo' reminds us to choose imagination over impressions
Milo and his big sister take a long subway ride to visit their mother, who is incarcerated, in the latest collaboration from award-winning picture book duo Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson.
StoryCorps: 'Just the Two of Us' songwriter found his sound in solitude
William Salter, who co-wrote the popular love song, told his granddaughter that the radio kept him company during a lonely childhood. When he later found the bass, he said, "I found myself."
Music therapy brings solace to COVID-19 patients and healers
Even when forced online by the pandemic, music therapy sessions continue to help patients in some ways talk therapy can't. "Music is this portal — this instrument that the brain connects with," says one therapist and COVID-19 long-hauler.
Talking Volumes: Talking Race 2021 season guide
Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune are proud to announce a special Talking Volumes series of virtual events centered around the topic of race in America. Join MPR News journalists Kerri Miller and Brandt Williams as they host engaging conversations with authors throughout the month of March.
Chick Corea, jazz great with 23 Grammy Awards, dies at 79
Chick Corea pushed the boundaries of the genre and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Corea died Tuesday of a rare for of cancer, his team posted on his website. 
Let this 'Wild Rain' sweep you away
The latest from Beverly Jenkins revisits an old favorite spot — the town of Paradise, Wy., where Spring Rain Lee (sister of previous hero Colton Lee) meets a man who may upend her independent life.
Art Hounds: Take your Valentine to look at art
Artists in the Northrup King building in northeast Minneapolis open studios Saturday evening. Plus, Art Hounds recommend an exhibition of woven art from Artistry, and the Prairie Gate Literary Festival from the University of Minnesota Morris holds its first event.
'Gay Bar' tracks the wave of a whole culture — and one life
Author Jeremy Atherton Lin writes of the history of gay bars, as their existence is threatened by the popularity of dating apps and rising property costs, and reflects on their presence in his life.