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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.

The history in 'Angel of Greenwood' could not be more timely

The history in 'Angel of Greenwood' could not be more timely

Randi Pink's new novel follows a young couple, Angel and Isaiah, whose budding love is set against the backdrop of historical tragedy: the Tulsa race massacre of 1921.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Two books to reflect on climate change in 2021

Two books to reflect on climate change in 2021

Kerri Miller provides her Thread Must-Read recommendations and she says 2021 will be a good year for great writing about climate change.
by Kerri Miller

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'Aftershocks' is a powerful memoir of a life upended — then pieced back together

'Aftershocks' is a powerful memoir of a life upended — then pieced back together

When Nadia Owusu was 4 years old, her Armenian American mother disappeared from her life. When she was 13, her Ghanaian father died. Owusu reflects the losses and her biracial identity in her memoir.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, dies at 81

Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, dies at 81

Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. California state prison officials said he died Saturday of natural causes at a hospital.
by The Associated Press

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There's pain and tragedy in 'Yellow Wife' — but also great joy

There's pain and tragedy in 'Yellow Wife' — but also great joy

Sadeqa Johnson's novel — inspired by a real historical figure — pulls no punches in its tale of an enslaved woman trying to survive and make a life for herself and her family.
by Denny S. Bryce

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Ask a bookseller: 'The Magical Language of Others' gives a compassionate look at mother-daughter relationships

Ask a bookseller: 'The Magical Language of Others' gives a compassionate look at mother-daughter relationships

Amanda Toronto of Word Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., says she can’t stop thinking about a memoir she read recently: “The Magical Language of Others” by poet and translator E.J. Koh. 
by Emily Bright

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Trying to survive on the margins in 'At the Edge of the Haight'

Trying to survive on the margins in 'At the Edge of the Haight'

Katherine Seligman's new novel makes alive and visible the lives of people we often walk past. It's the story of a young woman surviving on the streets of San Francisco with a few friends and her dog.
by Scott Simon

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Joanne Rogers, widow of TV's famed Mister Rogers, dies at 92

Joanne Rogers, widow of TV's famed Mister Rogers, dies at 92

Joanne Rogers, the widow of Fred Rogers, the gentle TV host who entertained and educated generations of preschoolers on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” has died. She was 92. 
by The Associated Press

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Lady Gaga, J-Lo to headline Biden inauguration

Lady Gaga, J-Lo to headline Biden inauguration

The entertainers will be joined by a Georgia firefighter and a Jesuit priest at the Capitol ceremony.
by Brian Naylor

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