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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.

Art Hounds recommend abstracts and stand-up

Art Hounds recommend abstracts and stand-up

This week's Art Hounds recommend abstract landscapes created by a Twin Cities artist with the help of his feet, a new stand-up comedy special with magic, and a North Mankato artist’s detailed designs.
by Emily Bright

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Tim O'Brien on late-in-life fatherhood and the things he carried from Vietnam

Tim O'Brien on late-in-life fatherhood and the things he carried from Vietnam

Now 74, Tim O'Brien didn't become a father until his late 50s. He reflects on writing, mortality and his experiences in Vietnam in the new documentary, “The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien.”
by Terry Gross

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A botched execution leads to a search for answers in 'Two Truths and a Lie'

A botched execution leads to a search for answers in 'Two Truths and a Lie'

Ellen McGarrahan was a young reporter for The Miami Herald, when she witnessed an execution that went horribly wrong. She revisits the case of Jesse Tafero in an intense new true crime book.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Drunken driving charge against Bruce Springsteen dropped

Drunken driving charge against Bruce Springsteen dropped

The government dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteen on Wednesday stemming from an incident in November, admitting that the rocker's blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn't warrant the charges.
by The Associated Press

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On 'The Kitchen Front,' 4 women cook their way to victory

On 'The Kitchen Front,' 4 women cook their way to victory

In Jennifer Ryan's new novel, set in England in 1942, four women from different backgrounds compete in a cooking contest with a possibly life-changing prize: The chance to cohost a BBC cooking show.
by Maria Godoy

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Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat poet and small-press publisher, dies at 101

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat poet and small-press publisher, dies at 101

In 1956, Ferlinghetti published the first edition of Allen Ginsberg's “Howl.” According to one critic, his greatest accomplishments were fighting censorship and starting a small-press revolution.
by Tom Vitale

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Pigeons star in a tale of mining in 'Flight of the Diamond Smugglers'

Pigeons star in a tale of mining in 'Flight of the Diamond Smugglers'

Journalist Matthew Gavin Frank exposes the history of South Africa's nefarious diamond industry, accompanied by a tale of pigeons and their role in subversion, in crisp and poetic prose.
by Martha Anne Toll

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'Red Line' examines Syria's use of chemical weapons, and the world's discovery of it

'Red Line' examines Syria's use of chemical weapons, and the world's discovery of it

Journalist Joby Warrick takes a detailed look at an excruciating moment for the world — the time in 2013 when the U.S. concluded that Syria's government had used chemical weapons in its civil war.
by Steve Inskeep

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'Popular Longing' digs into everything we'd rather leave unsaid

'Popular Longing' digs into everything we'd rather leave unsaid

In her third collection of poems, Natalie Shapero takes a blunt, funny look at the uncomfortable realities of life under capitalism. She says her work engages with the things people don't talk about.
by Jeevika Verma

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Ep. 11: Books, burgers and croissants. (Like ya do)

Ep. 11: Books, burgers and croissants. (Like ya do)

The polar vortex a few days back made us want to get extra comfy in The Warming House this week. We got reading suggestions to curl up with from two booksellers. And as is the way in The Warming House, however, we quickly got distracted with food — officially launching The Great Minnesota Burger Bracket.
by Tiffany Hanssen, Sean McPherson and Nina Moini

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