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.

'We Run The Tides' pulls you into the rough seas of female adolescence
Vendela Vida's novel centers on four 13-year-old girls who are perched on the edge of adulthood — and the recognition that some things they do or say now will change who they become as adults.
Ep. 9: Our Super Bowl halftime show
Tom Brady and a whole bunch of other people were playing a game of sportsball at exactly the same time as we gathered, socially-distanced, in The Warming House to launch a friendly debate about the best halftime show ever.
'Under A White Sky' examines what it might take for humans to continue to exist
Elizabeth Kolbert makes clear how far we already are from a world of undisturbed, balanced nature — and how far we must go to find a new balance for the planet's future, one that still includes us.
Kerri Miller offers praise for the work of author Naima Coster
Kerri Miller is preparing for a special all-digital winter season of Talking Volumes, and she’s sharing her excitement about her first interview on The Thread Must-Read.
Amanda Gorman, in a first, brings poetry to Super Bowl
Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who stirred America at the inauguration of President Joe Biden last month, again commanded the spotlight on one of the country's biggest stages, the Super Bowl.
Powerful 'Removed' walks a path between memory and mourning
Brandon Hobson's new novel crosses back and forth between past and present, mourning and memory to tell the story of a Cherokee family grappling with the death of a son at the hands of the police.
Facing down the monster within in 'What Big Teeth'
Rose Szabo has created a monstrous, dysfunctional family far worse than anything Charles Addams ever dreamed up — and young daughter Eleanor may be the worst of them. She just doesn't know why.
Compelling queer romance eclipses sci-fi stakes in 'Winter's Orbit'
This charming, trope-laden sci-fi romance started life as an original story posted to a fanfiction site, and it wears its fannish influences proudly. Fake-dating? Hurt/comfort? Sunny/grumpy? Yes!
'The Good Girls' aims to uncover the story behind the deaths of two Indian girls
Two young, inseparable teenage girls were found hanging side by side from a mango tree in a small village in India in May 2014. Author Sonia Faleiro investigates their deaths in a new book.