Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

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.

Oscar-winning documentarian celebrates 50 years of films about working people

Oscar-winning documentarian celebrates 50 years of films about working people

Julia Reichert’s Oscar this month for “American Factory” is just the latest in a series of films she has made since the early 1970s about the lives of ordinary people. She will appear at two events at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis this weekend.
by Euan Kerr

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Navigating black manhood with mentorship, self-discovery and ‘sankofa’

Navigating black manhood with mentorship, self-discovery and ‘sankofa’

For Black History Month, MPR News is featuring two coaching programs that bring together older black men with the younger generation. Both try to demonstrate the essence of a West African tradition of learning from the past.
by Tarkor Zehn

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'The Hidden Girl' is smart, but not entirely human

'The Hidden Girl' is smart, but not entirely human

Ken Liu is an acclaimed author, translator and poet who's won multiple awards for his short fiction. But his new collection doesn't come together — some stories are gorgeous, while others fall flat.
by Jason Sheehan

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Art Hounds: 'Let the Crows Come'

Art Hounds: 'Let the Crows Come'

Ashwini Ramaswamy brings her choreography to Lanesboro, Twin Cities Ballet dances to Pink Floyd's "The Wall," and Eric Larson explores why and how we collect things.
by Marianne Combs

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
In 'Minor Feelings,' Asian American racial trauma is laid bare

In 'Minor Feelings,' Asian American racial trauma is laid bare

Cathy Park Hong's essays serve as a major reckoning, pulling no punches as the author uses her life's flashpoints to give voice to a wider Asian American experience, one with cascading consequences.
by Elise Hu

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Taiko women come together in St. Paul to beat drums, make history

Taiko women come together in St. Paul to beat drums, make history

The traditional Japanese art has been practiced for thousands of years — by men. Now, female drummers from Japan, Canada and across the United States are gathering for an all-female taiko residency.
by Marianne Combs

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Apartment' will stay with you, long after you shut the door

'Apartment' will stay with you, long after you shut the door

Teddy Wayne's new novel is a portrait of loneliness and male insecurity set against the backdrop of academia in the mid-1990s — and a precious, rent-stabilized apartment in Manhattan.
by Heller McAlpin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
How a graphic novel resurrected a forgotten chapter in American history

How a graphic novel resurrected a forgotten chapter in American history

In “Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga,” Native artists retell the events of a brutal massacre in pre-Revolutionary Pennsylvania and bring a painful history to life on the page.
by Jess Kung

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Hood Feminism' is a call for solidarity in a less-than-inclusive movement

'Hood Feminism' is a call for solidarity in a less-than-inclusive movement

Mikki Kendall reveals how feminism has failed to consider populations too often excluded from the movement's banner — and forgotten to weigh the breadth of issues affecting the daily lives of many.
by Ericka Taylor

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!