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.

'Every Bone' speaks in this painful, beautiful debut novel
Ashley Blooms' novel follows ten-year-old Misty, who can speak to everything around her — even the mice in the walls answer back. But she doesn't have words for what her friend has done to her.
Author ventures into the Russian wilds to save a magnificent owl
Ornithologist and writer Jonathan Slaght spent several frigid winters camping in the forests of the Russian Far East. He was there to study the biggest owl in the world, which survived by eating fish snatched out of holes in the river ice.
10 thrillers Thread readers say you must not miss!
For the past several weeks, Kerri Miller has been bringing you Thread must-read thrillers you should not miss. This week, readers share the works that thrill them.
This 'Wolf' will bite you — and you'll like it
Laura Van Den Berg's new collection is full of uncanny, exquisite, and painful stories about death, about loss and isolation and falling for the wrong person. Her writing will get under your skin.
New 'quar-horror' films show staying at home is scary, too
This year feels like a horror movie, and a select group of filmmakers have taken the pandemic as inspiration. "Quar-horror" ranges from homemade shorts on YouTube to a movie filmed entirely on Zoom.
'Into the Wild' bus likely lands a home at Alaska museum
The abandoned bus featured in the book and movie “Into the Wild” appears headed to a new home at a museum in Fairbanks, after being removed from Alaska’s backcountry to deter people from making dangerous, sometimes deadly treks to visit the site.
A visit to a magical small town that you don't want to end
Bookseller Susan Tank of Paulina Springs Books in Sisters, Ore., recommends one of her longtime favorites, the 2010 novel "Mink River" by Brian Doyle.
'Cocoon' actor Wilford Brimley dies at 85
 Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from movie stunt rider to an indelible character actor who brought gruff charm, and sometimes menace, to a range of films that included “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Firm,” has died. He was 85.
Photos: Living tree bridges in a land of clouds
In the Indian state of Meghalaya, one of the wettest places on Earth, villagers are separated by rivers and valleys. To stay connected, they coax tree roots to grow together into living bridges.
Yiyun Li continues her conversations with the dead in 'Must I Go'
Yiyun Li's new book — about a woman looking back on her life by annotating the diary of her late ex-lover — plays with both Vladimir Nabokov's “Pale Fire” and Li's own previous work.