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.

A widow discovers that her marriage wasn't 'Monogamy'
As the central character struggles with grief and shock at her late husband's infidelity, author Sue Miller keeps deftly shifting what readers might anticipate to be the ending of this novel.
Home sweet labyrinth: Susanna Clarke's mysterious 'Piranesi' will lock you in
It's been 16 years since Clarke wrote “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.” "The pressure of all the years when I hadn't written, and all the stories I hadn't written, weighed very heavily on me," she says.
Journalist Maria Hinojosa tells Latinos, silenced voices: 'We need you'
The “Latino USA” host, who's spent a career covering those silenced in the media, now tells her own story in a new memoir. "We all have to work at making the immigrant story much more public," she said.
In Tuscany, Renaissance-era wine windows are made for social distancing
Tuscany's wine windows, each 12 inches high and 8 inches wide, were indispensable during a 17th century plague. They've became useful again during the coronavirus pandemic — even after lockdown ended.
A West African fantasy with enveloping world-building
This week, bookseller Linda Stack-Nelson of Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers in Minneapolis recommended the debut young adult novel “Raybearer” by Nigerian-American author Jordan Ifueko. 
Toots Hibbert, beloved reggae star, dead at 77
Toots Hibbert, one of reggae's founders and most beloved stars who gave the music its name and later helped make it an international movement, has died at age 77.
‘I have a great responsibility’: Connecting with ancestors through Aztec dance
An immigration attorney in Minneapolis is also the leader of Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue, a traditional Aztec dance group that has entertained audiences and helped build a sense of community in Minnesota over the past 20 years.