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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: Pandemic portraits in Winona

Art Hounds: Pandemic portraits in Winona

Plus a new jazz album from the High School for Recording Arts and jewelry by St. Paul artisan Peter Mielech.
by Emily Bright

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3 steamy romance novels you can't miss

3 steamy romance novels you can't miss

The pandemic might’ve stolen the “steamy” from your love life, but that’s what fiction is for! Here are three flirty fiction titles that may have been overlooked in this topsy-turvy year.
by Kerri Miller

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Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com pick 'pandemic' as their 2020 word of the year

Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com pick 'pandemic' as their 2020 word of the year

On March 11, when the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, lookups for pandemic spiked hugely. On Merriam-Weber, searches were 115,806 percent higher than lookups experienced on the same date last year. On Dictionary.com, searches on the site for the word spiked more than 13,500 percent that day.
by The Associated Press

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Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert

Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert

A mysterious silver monolith that was placed in the Utah desert has disappeared less than 10 days after it was spotted by wildlife biologists performing a helicopter survey of bighorn sheep, federal officials and witnesses said.
by The Associated Press

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Dave Prowse, actor who played Darth Vader, dies at 85

Dave Prowse, actor who played Darth Vader, dies at 85

Dave Prowse, the British weightlifter-turned-actor who was the body, though not the voice, of arch-villain Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died. He was 85.
by The Associated Press

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Misty Copeland celebrates ballet's beautiful friendships in 'Bunheads'

Misty Copeland celebrates ballet's beautiful friendships in 'Bunheads'

Copeland hopes her book will help young dancers feel comfortable in the studio and on the stage. She says illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey channeled "superhero energy" into dancers leaping off the page.
by Samantha Balaban

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Finding a voice and coming to terms with a stutter in 'I Talk Like A River'

Finding a voice and coming to terms with a stutter in 'I Talk Like A River'

Jordan Scott is a poet, a master of words, and a stutterer. His new kids' book, gorgeously illustrated by Sydney Smith, chronicles his childhood journey towards coming to terms with his stutter.
by Juanita Giles

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Freemasons say they're needed now more than ever. So why are their ranks dwindling?

Freemasons say they're needed now more than ever. So why are their ranks dwindling?

Freemasons once counted Founding Fathers, ex-presidents and titans of industry among their members. But for many, the allure is gone from the once shadowy fraternity, and membership has fallen off.
by Christianna Silva

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