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.

January 30, 2021 5:30 PM

Finalists announced for 2021 Minnesota Book Awards

The field of finalists is set for the 2021 Minnesota Book Awards. The winners will be announced at a online ceremony on April 29.

by MPR News Staff

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!

January 30, 2021 9:00 AM

'She Persisted,' now in chapter book form, brings history to life

Chelsea Clinton has turned her “She Persisted” series of picture books into a new series of chapter books, written by prominent kids' authors. The new books really take readers inside historical lives.

by Juanita Giles

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!

January 30, 2021 6:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: A kids' graphic novel series — with unicorns

Theresa Woodward of CatTale’s Books and Gifts in Brainerd, Minn., recommends “Phoebe and her Unicorn” graphic novel series, which she has been loving reading with her 6-year-old daughter, Phoebe.

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!

January 29, 2021 4:48 PM

Minnesota filmmaker's first feature film competes at Sundance

Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.’s “Wild Indian” is one of 10 films showing in the festival’s prestigious U.S. Dramatic Competition.

by Steven John and Megan Burks

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!

January 29, 2021 4:06 PM

Through grief, Hmong families torn between honoring the dead, keeping loved ones safe during COVID

In normal times, relatives and friends would gather for days or weeks, cooking side by side and consoling one another as part of the funeral proceedings. But with COVID-19 ravaging through the community, they’re left wrestling with how to plan a funeral that won’t be as big and lavish as they imagined.

by Riham Feshir

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!

January 29, 2021 12:08 PM

Amanda Gorman — and poetry — will be part of Super Bowl LV

Fresh from her burst into the literary stratosphere after her appearance at President Joe Biden's inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman will recite a new poem during the Super Bowl LV pre-show next Sunday.

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

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!

January 28, 2021 6:13 PM

Cicely Tyson, groundbreaking award-winning actor, dead at 96

Cicely Tyson, the pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” has died. She was 96.

by The Associated Press

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!

January 28, 2021 2:05 PM

'My Year Abroad' is a fun excursion — just a little light on substance

Chang-rae Lee's new novel follows an aimless college student on his year overseas, taking readers from the New Jersey suburbs into some of the more luxurious reaches of Asian megacities.

by Maureen Corrigan