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: Two short plays and a colorful display
The Art Hounds suggest a history play on women and the right to vote, a ghostly play and colorful paintings that may connect us.
'The Harpy' doesn't need monsters to break up a marriage
If you expect the heroine of Megan Hunter's new novel to turn into an actual harpy, you'll be disappointed; “The Harpy” is actually a quiet, slightly surreal meditation on a failing marriage.
In her new collection, Nicole Krauss considers how 'To Be A Man'
Nicole Krauss's novels often have complex structures, but the simplicity of her new story collection allows the beauty and precision of her writing to shine through.
At 71, 'A Sand County Almanac' remains fresh and engaging
A new edition of "A Sand County Almanac" recently hit bookstore shelves. Considered a classic piece of conservation literature, Aldo Leopold’s observation of life on his Wisconsin farm were the foundation for his theories about what he called a land ethic. Fans of the book argue its timeless wisdom has relevance in 2020.
MIA's once-a-decade Foot in the Door show goes virtual
The fifth iteration of the exhibition, once curated by a one foot square box, takes the good with the bad of the pandemic.
Three book recommendations to mind your manners
The day before one of the most polarized elections of our time, and Kerri Miller offers three books with which to mind your manners. 
'Group' destigmatizes and demystifies group therapy, without lessons
In her memoir, Christie Tate sets a positive example in the telling of how group therapy saved her — and in the care she takes to never present herself as an expert.
In 'The Upswing,' history holds the keys to moving away from today's tumultuous age
“Bowling Alone” author Robert Putnam joins with Shaylyn Romney Garrett to form the thesis that America's Gilded Age shows remarkable similarity to today — with a societal focus on "I" rather than "we."
Ina Garten: 'All my books really are about comfort food'
Sometimes you want a really good salad, Garten says. But now is not that time. Her new book, “Modern Comfort Food,” is packed full of recipes for beef stew, chocolate chip cookies and Boston cream pie.
Actor Sean Connery, the 'original' James Bond, dies at 90
Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as the suave and fearless secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an Oscar-winning career in other rugged roles, has died. He was 90.