Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

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.

Ask a Bookseller: 'Witches Steeped in Gold' is a Jamaican-inspired YA fantasy   

Ask a Bookseller: 'Witches Steeped in Gold' is a Jamaican-inspired YA fantasy   

Kalima Desuze of Café con Libros in Brooklyn, N.Y., recommends a Jamaican-inspired YA fantasy novel that just hit the shelves on April 20: “Witches Steeped in Gold” by debut author Ciannon Smart.
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!
Comic: Bringing the library home during the pandemic

Comic: Bringing the library home during the pandemic

It's been a year since teachers were handed an unprecedented request: educate students in entirely new ways, amid the backdrop of a global pandemic. This week takes us to a librarian and a bus driver.
by Eda Uzunlar

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!
Minnesota artist uses ancient techniques to create portraits of 'Women of Faith'

Minnesota artist uses ancient techniques to create portraits of 'Women of Faith'

Minnesota artist Mark Balma is drawing on ancient techniques to create three huge frescoes for a church in Italy. He planned to do the work on site, but the pandemic intervened. As he faced a modern challenge, he turned to an approach developed more than 2,000 years ago.
by Euan Kerr

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!
Cheap, legal and everywhere: How food companies get us 'hooked' on junk

Cheap, legal and everywhere: How food companies get us 'hooked' on junk

Reporter Michael Moss says processed foods can be as alluring in some ways as cocaine or cigarettes. His new book explains how companies keep us snacking by appealing to nostalgia and brain chemistry.
by Dave Davies

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!
'Nomadland' wins best picture at a socially distanced Oscars

'Nomadland' wins best picture at a socially distanced Oscars

Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a wistful portrait of itinerant lives on open roads across the American West, won best picture Sunday at the 93rd Academy Awards, where the China-born Zhao became the first woman of color to win best director and a historically diverse group of winners took home awards.
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!
Embarrassed by your parents? 'Watercress' explores that universal kid experience

Embarrassed by your parents? 'Watercress' explores that universal kid experience

In the new book “Watercress,” a girl is initially ashamed when her immigrant parents stop the car to forage for watercress by the side of the road — until she learns more about her family's history in China.
by Samantha Balaban

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!
'Curb' uses poetry to scrub at the wounds of Anti-Asian racism

'Curb' uses poetry to scrub at the wounds of Anti-Asian racism

Divya Victor's new book is a compilation of poems, memories, histories and essays, considering domestic terrorism against Asian Americans, in urgent words that spill out on the page like blood.
by Jenny Bhatt

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!